Halkegenia Offline!
by Bishop-chan
Summary: An anthology of reader-created works inspired by zero0hero's Halkegenia Online! Sidestories, Omakes and Crackfics all here!
1. Foreword

_Everyone is the hero of their own story, so goes a passage buried among countless books._

_In this world created by the inexplicable collision of science and magic known as The Transition, an epic saga has unfolded, driven by the actors compelled by their own personal convictions to take part. Kings and queens, scholars and warriors, mages and commoners alike struggle in their parts, seeking to exert their influence upon this grand stage as they attempt to steer the fate of this world, whether to prosperity or ruin._

_But an epic only if there exists a world beyond the narrow scope of the central saga. For every monarch whose every decision can direct a country's destiny, there exists a housewife whose only decision is in choosing their supper's constitution; For every general whose every victory can make entire nations tremble in fear, there are the soldiers under his command only concerning themselves in living until the next sunrise. These threads of life come with their own joys and fears, their own struggles and triumphs, weaving themselves into the fabric of the story's greater tapestry._

_These are the stories beyond the epic, below the grandiose machinations and the world-changing schemes._

_xxxxxxxxxx_

Hello dear readers!

This is your friendly neighborhood Bishop-chan, and this is **Halkegenia Offline!**

What do you mean I'm out of character? It gets tiring acting so stoic and smart after a while!

Putting that aside, I guess I should explain the purpose of this fic. Now then:

Halkegenia Offline is an anthology of stories written by fans for the popular fanfiction story **Halkegenia Online** by _zero0hero_, also known as _Triggerhappy_! Available both here in this repository of fiction known as and in that dark den of science known as Spacebattles, Halkegenia Online is currently one of the longest, most popular and active crossover stories involving the world of Sword Art Online and Familiar of Zero! Featuring a blazing fast update schedule and a completely engrossing epic storyline-

Cut it short?! But I was just starting on my admi- I mean outline of what this entire deal is! As you wish.

As a result of its popularity, Halkegenia Online has seen itself be the subject of several written fanworks dedicated to it, whether they be serious works or not-so-serious outtakes. Unfortunately the majority of these works are only found within the Spacebattles forums, and thus unknown to our readers! This imbalance cannot be allowed!

That is where me, your beautiful and charming librarian Bishop-chan comes in to save the day! For the first time in history, these works will finally be made available here to a greater audience! We'll be featuring all sorts of works, from bite-sized comedic one-shots to tales across multiple chapters, all done by different people! Many may have nothing to do with each other, and some are downright ridiculous, but all have their love of Halkegenia Online as a common thread!

Finally, this entire anthology wouldn't exist – and wouldn't be understood! - if it weren't for the story that spawned them, Halkegenia Online! If you haven't read it yet, just visit the following links below and get started!

s/8903072/1/Halkegenia-Online

Its sequel:

s/9581483/1/Halkegenia-Online-v20

And the following Arrun Parallel Story:

/s/10037318/1/Halkegenia-Online-Arrun-Parallel-Story-Melancholy-Heart

We hope you'll enjoy all of these stories, and don't forget to leave us your thoughts on the reviews for our wonderful contributors to read!

Once again, this is your super cute and friendly Bishop-chan, ciao!


	2. aightaight2 - Spriggan Stress Relief

**Spriggan Stress Relief**

**by aightaight2**

**xxxxxxxxxx**

_*Set two weeks after "Guiche mans up", from Halkegenia Offline Edition 5 by zero0hero/Triggerhappy*_

**xxxxxxxxxx**

Duchess Valliere looked on as the pampered nobles drilled in the courtyard before her. Even the youngest Gramont boy had started to make some decent progress with his sword-work.

Things are starting to look up.

Motion caught the corner of her eye - it seemed that a Faerie had decided to forgo Camp Mulan's usual sign-in procedure and fly directly over the fence instead.

As the Faerie landed nearby she quickly quashed her momentary optimism.

Even a perfect day can be marred by a dark cloud scudding by.

Looking around, the Lady of the Spriggans quickly spotted the pinkette.

"Karin-chan! What's going down?"

The slightest hint of a line creased Karin's forehead as she stopped herself from frowning at Morgiana's irreverent greeting.

She waved at the ranks of soldiers suffering through boot camp in front of her before responding.

"As you can see, the new recruits are practicing their formation drills. Once they finish they'll move on to individual sword drills, then magic drills, then pistol drills."

"Sounds boring. Think I should liven things up by tossing a few spears their way?"

This time, she couldn't stop her left eye from twitching.

Surely she's not serious?

Karin blinked slowly as the Spriggan Countess lifted the butt of her spear off the ground.

Time to intercede.

"Thank you for the offer, but this is their practice time. Their capacity to respond to surprise attacks will be tested at a later date."

The Spriggan grounded her spear once more.

Turning slightly to the side, Karin couldn't help but make a subtle dig.

"You know, it has oft been said that those without discipline are the first to die in battle."

"Yeah, sounds exactly like the sort of thing those stick-in-the-mud generals would spout off. I bet your boys have heard it plenty of times already!"

Morgiana turned towards the recruits before shouting out at the top of her lungs.

"Hey munchkins! Don't look so serious - if you're not careful you'll start to look like some of those sour-puss old Manticore Knights!"

This time the twitch covered not just her left eye, but her left hand too.

Before she could respond, Morgiana called out again.

"You there! The fop in the white shirt!"

Most of the recruits had continued in their drill, but a handful had stopped to stare at their glamorous visitor. One of them, of course, just had to be the youngest Gramont son.

Gazing appreciatively at the Countess, Guiche looked startled at being called out in front of his peers.

Morgiana flicked him a silver coin.

"Want to earn a Yurudo?"

He caught the coin before it could bounce off his forehead.

"If you show me where the big cheese is, I'll spot you another one to match!"

This sally managed to derail Karin's thoughts entirely.

"The big cheese?" Guiche asked.

"You know. Red hair, big sword that doesn't like to block, runs around playing General with that cool Gramont dude?"

Karin's thoughts flipped around on their axis as she realized just who Morgiana was referring to.

Guiche proved once again that he too was no slouch.

"You mean General Eugene? I think he's at the command tent with his brother."

"That's the one! Lead the way boy-oh, no sense in wasting light!"

Turning to Karin, she took her leave.

"Catch you later, babe - don't let the discipline get you down too much!"

At that rejoinder, her eye twitch returned.

Must... resist... urge to kill...

As she stared at the departing the Spriggan's back, she missed the opening of the next Act.

Boiling out from the Garrison's entry-station came a flight of pixies dressed in black uniforms with the Kurotaka hawk embroidered on their shoulder. Not bothering to gain any height, they flitted directly through the marching recruits, making several of them dodge and causing the formation to break up in disarray.

Two of the pixies broke off, stopping in front of her while they waited for another Spriggan to catch up.

"Hey, Lady. Love the pink hairdo! You know where we can find the Secret Agent Training? Gotta go earn our double-oh license today!"

No, it wasn't Morgiana. It was, however, another of the Kurotaka menaces - scantily clad with a long musket slung over her shoulder.

With a stuffed look on her face, Karin pointed to the building to the left, where Argo's 1st Faerie Commando Division had set up its headquarters.

"Thanks, girlfriend. If you ever need someone to go drinking with you, just give me a call. Name's Yoko!"

"Let's go, Pixies! Time to sign up for the new Dark Knight Division!"

This time, Karin closed her eyes rather than watch the Spriggan decamp.

Pixies.

Kurotaka Pixies.

Those *crows* were forming a new Black Ops Division with KUROTAKA PIXIES.

No, this time keeping her eyes closed simply wouldn't suffice.

Twenty minutes later, the recruits uncovered their ears, checking whether it was safe to rise from their positions hugging the ground.

Behind them, the huge timber post with the arrow embedded at the top had been the first casualty - a few splinters driven inches deep into the hardened earth barrier at the end of the firing range was all that remained of it. The next group of nobles to arrive would have to learn of their limitations some other way.

The rant that had followed, an incoherent stream of curses about magpies, money grubbers, and undisciplined mercenaries, had been bad enough - the accompanying stream of hurricane force wind blasts slamming into the ground and sky had left everyone within range quivering on the ground with their hands covering their heads.

At least their Instructor looked a little bit less tense now, her rigid posture lost as she bent over panting with her hands on her knees.

**xxxxxxxxxx**

From behind the command tent, «MHCP-001», codename Yui, peeked out at the Duchess. A satisfied look stole over her features as she contemplated the success of their plan.

She turned to her partner.

"Thanks for the help Morgi-chan - you were definitely right. It can't be good to suppress all that tension all the time. Sometimes you just need a good excuse to let all the stress out!"


	3. aightaight2 - Product Placement

**Product Placement**

**By aightaight2**

**xxxxxxxxxx**

Old Osmond, Headmaster of the Tristain Academy of Magic, peered closely at the object in front of him. It was a large chair, one that would make a good match with the equally large desk in his office at the Academy. In his time travelling through Halkegenia he had come to know such furniture well - from the lowest prison to the most opulent palace, big furniture was a symbol of a person with big responsibilities.

Fortunately, big desks also provided plenty of room for books and scrolls.

Unfortunately, they also tended to attract paperwork. And decisions. The bigger the desk, the greater the import of the decisions that came with it.

In the end, though, the Desk was the lesser of the two pieces of furniture. Decisions, paperwork and books could cross its path all day long, and so long as it didn't collapse, no one would ever notice it. Flat, sturdy, and subdued in color, those were the right qualities for a Big Desk.

The chair, however... chairs were a much different prospect. Too small, and people wouldn't realize how important you were. Too big, and the brim of your hat would flatten uncomfortably against the back of your head every time you leaned back. Not to mention the importance of the seat being at the right height – dangling legs and knees-about-the-ears were both so... undignified. The most important quality, however, was neither height nor size.

A big desk inevitably attracted paperwork, but a big chair inevitably attracted a posterior. In this case, his posterior.

He sat down upon the chair, testing it for both springiness and give.

Yes, the key to a great chair wasn't its shape or form, it was how comfortable it was to sit upon. He hid his sigh of pleasure as he settled down into the contoured leather, as well as his amazement as the chair tipped slightly backwards as he shifted his weight into a more relaxed posture.

He couldn't, however, keep the surprise from his face when a tap of his foot sent the chair twirling around its axis – once... twice. . . thrice before it stopped.

Yes, he thought, if I ever decide to run a competition for office furniture, this would be a definite contender for First Prize in the Old Osmond 'Big-Chair' Awards.

"What do you think?" asked the ashen-skinned Spriggan who had helped deliver the chair for his inspection.

"It's a very nice chair," he offered after a further moment of introspection. "Symmetrical – and of a pleasing color. Comfortable, too. I like that in a chair."

"It's a prototype, one of the first items produced by the TRIST Domestic Products Division," the Spriggan, Kirito by name, began the Faeries' pitch. "I'll let my colleague explain."

The large gnome standing at Kirito's side took up the tale.

"Office chairs have always been a big deal back in our homeland. Many of us worked at a desk all day, and if the chair wasn't fully adjustable... well, let's just say that even the cheapest ones came with a full swivel and adjustable height. All we needed was some Leprechaun know-how, an Earth-mage to shape the metal fittings, and for the Deluxe edition here, leather from an ALfheim Boxtail Bovine and down from an Archeopterror. Even in our world padding this comfortable would be tough to come by."

An old hand in the bargaining game, Old Osmond knew that the more he heard, the greater the likelihood that he would be snowed under by the words. Best to cut to the chase before he needed a shovel to remove the hyperbole.

"One does not get as Old as Old Osmond without being able to judge quality," he opined. This was nothing but the truth, at least when it came to chairs. Old Osmond's posterior had certainly sat upon so many chairs over the years that by now it could be considered an expert judge in its own right.

"What price are you asking?" he queried, stroking his long white beard as if deep in thought. A chair this good was worth a great deal to him, but a canny bargainer never gave away too much at the start of the deal.

"As with everything, the price is determined by supply and demand. Supply is limited by our start-up capacity, and as for demand... that's where you we'd like your assistance."

"Oh?" he asked, raising an eyebrow to display his interest.

"Yes. We know that you're a busy man. In any given week, I am certain that you would meet with many people, people from important families."

"You refer, of course, to my Students?"

"Not just your students. Parents, ambassadors, researchers... nobles of high pedigree and advisers to the Crown. Many throughout Halkegenia know of Old Osmond, Headmaster of the Continent's foremost Magic Academy. A man with a reputation such as yours – surely people of note and worth seek you out for your wise counsel?"

Osmond found himself nodded in agreement. That was the side of his reputation that most knew, though his assistant Miss Longueville might portray him somewhat differently.

"We're prepared to give you this prototype for free. In return, however, we would like you to do two little things. First, leave a few of these pamphlets out on your sideboard," said Agil, pulling out a stack of thin, printed sheets.

"They're called 'catalogues' – listings of new products being offered by our Domestic Products Division. Use them as coasters for all we care, just try to make sure that each of your important visitors gets one in their hands. Of course, if anyone comments on your new chair, feel free to give them a pamphlet directly."

Aha! he thought. Old Osmond was no one's fool, and one of the first topics he had researched at Arrun Central Library was Fae economics. So this was what the Chapter on marketing meant by 'Product Placement'. Being involved in such a deal was quite different from simply reading about the term. Such advertising was worth an enormous amount to any new business... that chair is mighty comfortable though...

"And the second 'little thing'?"

"Ah," said Kirito, taking the lead once more. "It won't take much effort on your part, we'd just like a little help setting up a small joke on another of our colleagues. We do, after all, know of your other reputation..."

This time, both of Old Osmond's brows rose. The old folk tales from Albion made frequent mention of the trickster nature of the Fae, and it seemed that these Fae had a similar streak. The opportunity to be in on a Fae prank would almost certainly be an amusing diversion...

"Please, tell me more."

"Back in the world before ALfheim, some of us joined another Illusion known as Aincrad. Within that world was a player known as Argo the Rat, so named for her rat-like whiskers. She was mostly known for her dealings in information, but she also enjoyed playing tricks on fine, upstanding people. People like Agil and myself, actually. Fortunately she was also a participant in ALfheim. I believe you may have met her – in this world, she is known as Argo the Cat..."

Leaning back in his most-comfortable chair, Old Osmond had to stifle his chuckle as the plan was laid out before him. He was beginning to feel quite good about the 'price' that that Faeries were asking him to pay.

**xxxxxxxxxx**

[Author's Note – aightaight2]

Ahh, the Domestic Products Division. Surely the most vital TRIST Department when it comes to developing marketable products. I suspect that TRIST will very quickly be linked with another nascent Faerie Company tasked with turning R&D prototypes into a viable product line. I hereby propose the formation of the National Faerie Trading Company, 'NFT' for short. Slogan - "NFT products are Nifty!"


	4. aightaight2 - Guiche: HotA (1)

**Guiche: Hero of the Academy! – Part 1**

**By aightaight2**

**xxxxxxxxxx**

Guiche de Gramont lay awake in the dormitory at the Champ de Mars training facility. Over the past few weeks sleep had been in short supply, the few hours spent in bed each night becoming increasingly precious.

On the very first day they had been told that Mage Officer Candidates did not have the luxury of sleeping in all day. In fact, so far as he could tell, Mage Officer Candidates didn't have the 'luxury' of sleeping all night, either! Or any other luxuries, for that matter.

Every morning the bugle sounded hours before dawn, signaling that their day had begun even though daylight had not. Drills, lessons, training, cleaning; followed by more drills, more lessons, even more training, and even more cleaning! And all without their wands!

He'd heard rumors that some of the Instructors had started a betting pool, picking out the noble scions that they thought wouldn't last the distance. Supposedly, his name had been high on that list.

_'Hah! What did they know about the steadfastness, the loyalty, the determination of a Gramont? Let them lose their money betting against me!'_ he thought, with a modicum of bravado.

In truth, though. . . Guiche had come close to quitting a number of times.

On each occasion, though, Midori had been there.

Calling cadence during the morning exercises, or testing them on questions that might come up in the next pop quiz. Even watching from a distance as they scrubbed the wooden floor of the barracks for the umpteenth time.

Looking at him with respect, as if she _knew_ he wouldn't quit.

And so he didn't.

The determination of a Gramont sounded good in theory; in practice, however, he simply couldn't bear the thought of Midori's look of respect changing back to a look of disappointment. That simple motivation, along with the memory of his sweet Monmon, held close in his mind's eye, had sufficed to keep him going.

He'd made it through the first phase of training.

Tomorrow, however, things were going to change. The surviving Candidates would move on to the next phase of training – the 'practical' phase. Putting the skills they'd learned to use in 'field missions' set up to test them and help them gain 'real world' experience.

For some reason, though, he just couldn't nod off. Why tonight, of all nights? Malicorne's snoring was as bad as usual, but that had never stopped him from sleeping the sleep of exhaustion before. Perhaps it was the other rumor that had come to his attention during dinner? He didn't think it had disturbed him that much…

Somehow, word of his supposed 'heroism' had leaked into the Camp. _Guiche de Gramont isn't like the other candidates here_ – thus went the rumor. _He's the one who partnered Dame Midori in Albion. He's the one who spied out Reconquista's forces at York. He saved Prince Wales – warned him before that traitor Wardes could strike. Then he raised the alarm when Zombies tried to take over the dock at Newcastle. They say he didn't even flinch when he stood face to face with one of those necromantic abominations. And what about the Gala – my cousin told me he chased down the imposter Fae Lord in person. His brother – a Captain you know! – lost his leg, but Guiche had barely a scratch on him when he brought back the Traitor's head!_

Unfortunately, the Training Cadre had heard the rumors too. One of them had come up to him in the mess hall, telling him that they had high expectations for him during tomorrow's field exercise.

He shuddered. To the Cadre, _high expectations_ meant that they'd be adding an extra-special twist to the exercise, just for him. He'd seen it happen before. Take the high achiever, and prove to him that no matter how good you thought you were, there was always someone out there who was better.

Philippe de Montault had suffered that fate during the first two days of training. He'd beaten all the other Candidates as well as their rival Musketeer Recruits in the initial sword duels, arrogantly flourishing his practice sword after each victory. That very night, he'd been told that there would be _high expectations _on him for tomorrow's sword drills. The very next day, Miss Midori had joined them for the first time, soundly thrashing the pride out of the Viscount's son.

Still, nothing would be gained by dwelling on the matter. The rumors were just that – rumors. He already knew the truth about himself. He wasn't brave, nor valiant. He might look the part of a dashing hero, but he knew that he was no hero. No matter what the Cadre threw at him, he'd do his best to learn from it. No matter how badly his group lost the exercise, he'd keep going – he'd face the Camp the next day, and the next, until he could prove to himself that Miss Midori's faith in him was not misplaced.

With that final thought circling in his mind, Guiche finally drifted off to sleep.

**xxxxxxxxxx**

Within the main tent of the Camp Headquarters, the Duchess de la Valliere and General Belgen de Gramont stood side-by-side at the head of the Planning Table. The General kept a relaxed eye on the other key members of their group - Dame Midori, acting as Henrietta's personal Agent, Dame Caramella of the Knights of the Order of Blood, and the Salamander Lieutenant Carmond, recently seconded to the Camp to help out with the Musketeer Recruits.

Across from them, Karin kept a much sharper gaze on the other group of newcomers. A quartet of Salamanders, all wearing the heavy crimson coats of the Salamander Lance Corps. Their role was to act as the Opposing Force in the upcoming Scouting Mission simulation.

"Ho! I can't wait to see their faces when the hammer drops," said Uxper, smiling slightly in private amusement. "They'll be expecting a stoush with their rivals, the Musketeer Recruits. They'll never guess that we've been substituted instead."

His offsider, Fastu-osa, picked up the thread with grim amusement. "Well, that's what Scoutin's 'bout, innit? If you already know what's out there, there's no need ta check! That's why they'll get us 'nstead. Makes the mission more real, see?"

"Don't count your victories too early, men," interposed the General. "And don't forget whose Trainee Squad you'll be going up against, either – my son Guiche won't beaten easily," he said with a proud smile.

With a frown, Karin added her own thoughts. "We've all heard about your son's talents, Belgen. Given your confidence in him?" she paused, watching as the General and 'Dame Midori' nodded their support, "I'm sure we can set up a little something extra, to really test him out."

Looking up from the planning board, Carmond grinned lightly before making a suggestion. "Well, there is that tactic that Lord Mortimer wanted us to test under live conditions. Perhaps we could kill two birds with one stone? Responding to a real surprise will probably be more valuable to the Trainees than fighting against an opposing force that's using standard tactics, won't it? Got to keep them on their toes, you know."

His grin broadened. "If the Lancers start here," he said, waving his hand above the map, "and aim to strike here," he tapped the board, "I'm sure we'll soon find out whether the tactic works as well in practice as it does in theory."

Chuckling, the other Salamanders nodded in agreement.

"Agreed."

"Of course."

"Looking forward to it."

"Can't wait."

The nods of assent came quickly from the rest of the Trainers.

"Fine. Let's try it out, and see what happens," came the final word from Dame Caramella.

Tomorrow, they'd see what Guiche de Gramont was truly made of.


	5. aightaight2 - Guiche: HotA (2)

**Guiche: Hero of the Academy! – Part 2**

**By aightaight2**

**xxxxxxxxxx**

Guiche rose as the brassy tones of the bugle reverberated through the barracks. The beefy drill sergeant's penetrating bellow followed immediately after, notifying the Trainees that they had 30 minutes to form up on the Parade Ground with everything they would need for a scouting mission. Any delay beyond that would be punished with a one point per minute deduction for every member of the delayed Squads.

As the dorm descended into a flurry of activity, the youngest son of the Baron de Gramont hastened to prepare himself.

Fortunately for Guiche, his recent training was supplemented by a wealth of practical advice received from his martial relatives. His brother Axel's advice sounded clearly in his mind: Don't make any assumptions when it comes to survival, Guiche. _In the wilds you can use your wits, your skills, your magic and any equipment you bring with you. That last point's the critical one – there are no shops around when you're out in the sticks!_

He quickly sorted out which belongings to take and which to leave. Fortunately, they were allowed to use their foci during this task, allowing him to focus on items that he couldn't simply conjure up on the spot. That made the selection at least a little easier. Of course, it was also important not to overburden oneself.

With ten minutes to spare, Guiche was ready to go. That meant it was time to help his squadmates. He slung his pack onto the bunk, then got to work cajoling and threatening Malicorne, Reynald and Gimli, making sure they only included useful gear in their kits. With a minute left on the clock they headed out to the Parade Ground, standing to attention beside the other Mage Officer Candidates just before time was called.

At the other end of the Grounds, the Musketeer Recruits were arrayed in a similar formation. No doubt a new chapter in the rivalry between the two groups would be written today - it wouldn't be the first time they had faced off against one another.

He winced at the memory of their most recent contest - the paint balls that the commoner Recruits gleefully shot at their noble Candidates really stung!

As time ran on, the Cadre started subtracting points from the absent squads. Meanwhile, those present were called up one at a time and sent on their way. Guiche started to sweat in the heavy pre-dawn air as he waited for his own squad to be called upon.

"Squad Odin, you're with me," came the sudden order in soft, dulcet tones. Somehow, Miss Midori had appeared at their side, as if a wisp of the night itself had suddenly condensed into her form.

Guiche controlled his involuntary flinch. The rest of the squad were less reserved - Gimli jumped, and Reynald's glasses nearly flew off his nose as his he violently twisted his head towards her. Malicorne, of course, was too busy rubbing the sleep from his eyes to have noticed her initial appearance, but his eyes definitely responded when he realized that the Camp's idol was standing before them.

_How did she do that?_ Guiche thought to himself. _It's like she's mastered some sort of magical hiding ability._

On second thought, he realized that that might in fact be a plausible explanation. A highly accomplished Agent of the Crown like Miss Midori might well be a master of both sword and stealth. The next time he thought he was alone, perhaps he should send out a sounding to make sure she wasn't about?

Following along behind her, Guiche's squad soon found themselves clambering onto a pair of transport dragons that would take them to the site of their Mission.

**xxxxxxxxxx**

An hour-and-a-half later Guiche disembarked stiffly from his saddle. Transport dragons were good at moving small detachments of troops rapidly from place to place, but their lurching muscles made for a lumpy and uncomfortable ride. At the end of a lengthy flight, said troops would not be moving rapidly at all, at least not until they'd had a chance to stretch and recover.

Guiche too the opportunity to do just that, rising on his toes and stretching out his arms, before tensing and relaxing his muscle groups until the suppleness returned to them. As he stretched he took the opportunity to look about at the nondescript landscape surrounding them.

Dawn was breaking, soft shafts of light revealing dull greys and streaky browns of an undulating, stony terrain. His head swiveled as he rapidly took in the lay of the land. A surprisingly large amount of straggly vegetation clung grimly to the rocks strewn throughout the region, but there was little else of note. It looked nothing like the lush countryside of Tristain that he had come to know...

"Squad Odin! Your attention, please!" commanded Midori. The Trainees quickly formed up to receive their brief.

"For the next eight hours, your task is to scout the land between here and the lake located 10 leagues to the south. Intelligence has been received that enemy squads may be operating in the area, but our naval assets have assured us that they have not seen any enemy airships, dragons, manticores, or griffins in the area.

Somewhere in the zone is an abandoned Fae settlement with half a dozen red and white buildings. Find it, and secure any supplies that are stored within.

If you find the entrance to any ALfheim dungeons you are to mark down their locations, but do not to enter.

Try to avoid getting ambushed by the enemy, and above all, don't let any mobs get you. Please remember, all spells used against the Opposing Force must be non-lethal. You've all memorized the list of authorized spells for simulated wargames – stick to it, and we won't have any problems.

I'll be monitoring the exercise, but don't expect to see me. I'll intervene if I have to, but if I do, it's minus twenty points for each of you. Questions?"

By now, all the Trainees knew exactly how perfunctory a request for "Questions" truly was. As Officers, they would be expected to understand and communicate orders after hearing them once - repetition and delay are anathema on a battlefield. If they deigned to ask a question they would get an answer; but it would also lose them a stack of points.

"All right," finished Midori, "I'll see you in eight hours. Do your best - if you don't, I'll be commenting on it when we do the debrief. Good luck!"

**xxxxxxxxxx**

Guiche swore as the dusky green prickly plant caught the sleeve of his shirt. There weren't too many of the odd looking things in the region as a whole, but the culvert that he and his squadmates were currently following seemed to be choked with the things.

They had chosen the route at his direction. Fortunately, by the time the dragon flight came to an end there had been enough ambient light for him to make out the basic layout of the land below. _Always be aware of your surroundings_, came the advice of Axel in his mind once more. Paying attention had worked for him in York, and it didn't hurt his standing here, either.

After Midori had left, he'd quickly called the group together to work out their strategy. He hadn't spotted anything that looked like a Fae settlement when the dragons had been descending, and he suspected that it was located a good deal further south. Perhaps even to the shore of the lake that Midori had mentioned? It would be just like the Cadre to place their objective at the very edge of the patrol area.

Even worse, they might have taken the opportunity to drop off an opposing squad of Musketeer Recruits right next to the Settlement, giving the commoners time to entrench themselves well before his Squad could hope to arrive.

That's the sort of thing that happened to you when the Cadre decided to have _high expectations of your skills._

Speculating some more about the Cadre's motivations, he realized that if they really wanted to drive home the lesson they could have selected Jacquette & Isabeau's musketeer team to oppose his squad.

Guiche sighed in regret. It was such a shame - he could appreciate the beauty of a fine, athletic woman, but those two were such a potent brew of competence, diligence and threatening glares that it was best to view them from a distance. Preferably, a distance that was well outside the effective range of their muskets.

The Squad had also discussed other dangers that they might have to face, deciding on some basic tactics to use if they were attacked. If ALfheim Dungeons were nearby, they must be somewhere within the transplanted lands of the Fae. Depending on how well the Mob Patrols had done their job, they might find any number of Mobs still roaming about.

Based on the southerly direction they had flown from Champ de Mars, Guiche deduced that they were somewhere in Salamander territory. The desert-like landscape was also consistent with that supposition.

He sighed once more, this time with a little melancholy. Somewhere to the east was the Montmorency estate and his fair Monmon - so near, and yet so far.

Guiche suggested that the Squad turn their cloaks inside out so the brown inner lining was exposed rather than the rich Tristanian blue. Then he used his magic without warning to spray them all with loose earth, acting quickly before any of his fellow Trainee's could put up a protest. Camouflage complete. That should make it a lot more difficult for the enemy forces to spot them.

After deciding on their scouting formation, they moved out towards the south, keeping a low profile by staying within the dips and gullies lining the broken land.

Once they spotted the settlement, they would have to work out a plan of attack to minimize the possibility of any injuries as they took control of it. For the time being, however, they needed to focus on _finding_ the wretched cluster of buildings.

**xxxxxxxxxx**

With the approach of noon, the four Salamander lancers were waiting for the right moment to sally forth.

They'd initially used the abandoned settlement as their base, taking it in turns to scout the surrounding terrain. The designated lancer would chant the specialized stealth spell that masked the glow of their wings for a short time, before rapidly ascending to a height that would make it extremely difficult for them to be spotted from the ground.

With attentive eyes and a clearly demarcated search pattern, they'd eventually marked the location of Guiche's squad. Surprisingly, it had taken a good hour and a half to do so, as the Tristanian mages had been creeping along the eastern edge of the mission zone. They'd also clothed themselves in matching camouflage garb, which blended in with the landscape to a remarkable degree.

Unfortunately for the Trainees, the clothing didn't appear to include hats.

From the air, Gimli's green locks of and Reynald's bright orange hair had eventually given them away.

Since then, the Salamanders had rotated the overwatch every 10 minutes, keeping Guiche's group under constant surveillance. Finally, they'd gotten within visual range of the Settlement. The Lancers had promptly decamped, skimming along the ground until a couple of hills were interposed between them and the Tristanians. It would spoil the surprise if they were spotted coming and going from the mission objective.

"Hey Uxper," grumbled Fastu-osa, "issit time?"

Having just returned from her turn watching the Trainees, Kajuhana added her own thoughts. "They're staying put at the moment, taking a break. I don't think we'll get a better opportunity than this to try out the sun dive - they're not paying any attention to the sky."

Glancing at the sun, Uxper finally gave revealed his own thoughts. "Yeesss..." came the drawn out confirmation."Those comments in the briefing about the lack of air cavalry seems to have lulled them into a false sense of security. If they knew we were loitering about, they'd at least be glancing up at the sky every now and then. Well then. Let's go over the plan once more to make sure we're all on the same page, then we'll launch."

Taking it in turns, the Salamanders went over the plan for the last time.

"Step one - we all recite the flight concealment spell..."

"Then we fly up tagetha' 'til we're directly 'tween tha sun an' tha target..."

"And once we're up there, you guys all wait for me to give the signal to initiate the dive. When I make a fist, everyone cuts the power to their wings and we'll glide down on top of them without the flight sounds giving us away."

"The sun will mask our descent, and when we're at point blank range, we open fire, leading to..."

After a brief pause to help with the timing, the lancers called out in unison - "VICTORY!"

With the unified call, the Salamanders were ready to go. "Excellent! Everyone ready?" continued Uxper. "Concealment spells on the count of three. . . one, two, three - GO!"

Runes lit up as the quartet quickly chanted the stealth based darkness spell for the last time today, then one by one they took off, speeding towards the ambush position.

Within the next minute, they'd be in position above Guiche's squad, waiting for Uxper to give the signal to start the brisk descent that would ambush the targets sitting unaware below.

**xxxxxxxxxx**

As the day progressed the temperature had soared, draining Squad Odin of their energy, sapping their strength, and taxing their concentration. It was actually a familiar sensation - they'd felt the same way towards the end of every PT session held at Champ de Mars.

Familiar, yes - pleasant, never.

The sun beat down upon their uncovered heads, the rocky ground radiated its own uncomfortable heat through the soles of their boots, and shaded areas were few and far between. The air was still, without even a breath of wind to cool them. Their cloaks hung from their frames, trapping the hot hair against them, but they weren't prepared to forgo the stifling coverings until either the enemy spotted them, or the fighting began.

All four of the Mage Officer Candidates were sweating profusely, and they had spent the entire day taking regular sips from the water gourds that Guiche had insisted they place in their packs that morning.

Fortunately, it looked like their uncomfortable trek was coming to its end. Through the haze before them, Guiche could just make out the top of a red building peeking out from a ravine. They'd taken the sighting of the Mission Objective as a signal to take another break.

It was supposed to be a quick breather while they came up with a strategy to infiltrate the settlement.

Unfortunately, Malicorne's brain seemed get stuck on 'complain' mode whenever he was physically uncomfortable, leaving no spare brainpower to do anything else. Since the very start of the Mission, he had been constantly grumbling about the heat, the dust, the lack of food, his boredom with their current task... and then the heat some more. If the heavyset blond had spent as much time thinking up solutions as he had spent complaining, surely he could have come up with some way to improve their situation by now?

As Malicorne hijacked the strategy session with his gripes, Gimli and Reynald seemed to have given up on derailing him - instead they joined in on the pity party, adding their own litany of complaints to list.

Finally, Guiche had had enough. Instead of using their time productively to plan out their next move, it was being wasted! Didn't they realize that constantly complaining about a situation did nothing but compound the problem? The role of an Officer was to identify problems, then solve them!

_Why is that that I'm always the one who has to come up with the solutions to our Squad's problems?_ Guiche asked himself.

He couldn't do much about the heat... but at least he could do something about the sun, at least while they were stationary. It wouldn't take much willpower to magic up a little shade. Maybe then the other three would settle down and return to plotting out the next step in their mission?

With a quick wave of his wand, Guiche conjured up a set of thin, shiny bronze discs above them, each set upon a slender tripod to keep it upright. Highly polished, they were perfect for reflecting the sunlight away from them.

An instant later, a pained scream came from the air just above them.

"ARRGGH – THE LIGHT!"

_Whut?!_

Guiche immediately peered out from beneath the makeshift umbrella... was that a Salamander plummeting towards them? With a sword bared in his hand?

_What in the Founder's name is going on here?!_

As the first Fae hit the ground with an uncomfortable sounding *ThuD*, Guiche spotted three more Salamanders hovering just above them, flailing about as they covered their eyes.

Finally, the situation clicked in his mind.

_It's an ambush!_

Thinking quickly, Guiche waved his wand once more. A series of shackles and chains appeared around all four of the Fae, binding their arms, their legs, their wings, and their heads. With the added weight dragging them down, capture quickly followed.

**xxxxxxxxxx**

As Guiche entered the mess hall that evening, a pall of silence descended as everyone craned their heads to look at him.

Then the noise began.

First a murmur, then applause, then a standing ovation mixed with raucous cheers and caterwauls. The next thing he knew, Guiche was being lifted upon the shoulders of his peers, raised above them like a conquering hero as he was conveyed up and down the aisles between the tables.

_What on Earth is going on?!_

To the side, he spotted Reynald, standing on his chair as he cheered his hardest.

Finally, they let him back down to the ground, the crescendo of applause dimming as raucous conversation ensued.

"What in the Founder's name was that about?" asked Guiche to another recruit.

"Look over there, Guiche," said the recruit, pointing towards the front of the hall and speaking to him in the same awed tones that one would expect from a supplicant speaking to one who could offer salvation…

_Are those tears in his eyes?_ Guiche thought in wonder. His gaze turned to follow the direction of the finger.

There, facing the recruits, was one of the banes of their existence. The "Scoreboard". A cruel joke, as all the Mage Officer Candidates had come to know. As usual, the losers of the various simulated battles which had occurred that day suffered the additional embarrassment of losing dozens of points for their group.

From left to right, the columns read:

**Scoreboard**

This Week's Total

•Midori's Stick: +24 points

•Musketeer Recruits: – 319 points

•Mage Officer Candidates: – 474 points

Guiche sighed. "So? We've made up some ground on the Musketeers, but we're still over a hundred and fifty points behind. I'm pretty sure we'll all be peeling vegetables again next week."

He didn't even bother mentioning their chances of chasing down Midori, and the mythical "weekend off" that was given to whichever group was in the lead come Friday night. Any time Midori felt the need, she could call out one of the Trainees for an extra training bout, and another two points would soon be added to her stick's total. She seemed to take great pleasure in 'offering' such bouts to Candidates that made particularly stupid mistakes.

"Not the Scoreboard. The Individual Tallies!"

With a start, Guiche looked at the smaller board to the right of the main one.

There, at the top of the list, was a Mage Officer Candidate. For the first time since they'd started training, a Musketeer Recruit was no longer heading the list. Such a stunning coup for the nobles, who had been behind the commoners since the very beginning. The name of the Candidate, though -

No. Surely that can't be right?

**Tallies**

Current Leaderboard

1. Mage Officer Candidate - Guiche de Gramont: – 97, – 47, +3 points

Bonus: +50 points (arrow retrieval), +50 points (victory over the OpForce)

2. Musketeer Recruit - Dauphine Selosse: – 37 points

3. Musketeer Recruit - Jacquette Meleun: – 39 points

4. Musketeer Recruit - Isabeau Debouvine: – 44 points

. . .

"You've done it, Guiche! You've restored the Honor of the Mage Candidates! You're the Hero of the Academy!"

Suddenly, Guiche became aware of a calm presence at his side. Half turning, he came to attention as he realised who it was. "Dame Midori! I... did you know about this?" he asked the slender girl.

"Of course! I'm the one who witnessed your brilliant strategy, Guiche! You must have been keeping a close eye on those Salamanders to set that trap – the timing was impeccable. Congratulations! The points are well earned," she commended him with a smile.

Guiche was left speechless, flailing around for something to say in response... but... but... that's just wrong! I had no idea they were there...

Before he could recover, Midori continued. "If you keep up this pace, you might become the first person to ever graduate from Champ de Mars with a positive score. That's one record that will likely stand the tests of time. Anyway, enjoy your victory Guiche! You deserve it."

Clapping him on the shoulder, Midori faded back, allowing Malicorne and the rest of his fellows to crowd around him once more.

**xxxxxxxxxx**

_In future years, the Hero of the Academy would gain a greater moniker - the Hero of Tristain. The rumors of his early victories, however, remained alive._

_That's Guiche de Gramont! He's the one who beat one of Lord Mortimer's tactical plans while he was still a raw recruit. _

_No, surely not…?_

_You'd better believe it! I was stationed at the base when it happened. Guiche's squad went up against an elite platoon of Salamander Lancers, and he trapped the whole lot of them without the rest of his squad needing to lift a single finger! There's a reason they used to call him the Hero of the Academy, you know!_

**xxxxxxxxxx**

Deep within the Salamanders' Faction Guild Hall in Arrun, Lord Mortimer clasped his hands on his desk as he contemplated his next move.

The feedback from Uxper had been telling. As a stealth tactic, the Sun Dive wasn't quite as robust as he had hoped. He kept his features calm, showing nothing of his internal conflict as he reined in the annoyance swirling inside him.

_Rule 12. When I employ someone to give me advice, I will listen to their advice. I will not lose my temper just because they bring me bad news._

Fortunately, the test had picked up the flaw before it cost anyone's life. The embarrassment of having one of his elite squads taken down by a quartet of raw recruits was annoying, but it would soon blow over. Fortunately, the instigator of the defeat was a burgeoning celebrity in his own right, which mitigated the damage to the Salamander's reputation.

_I think I need a new rule._

_Rule 17. One of my testers will be an ordinary Halkegenian soldier. Any flaws that he is able to identify will be corrected before a tactic is implemented._

At least the solution to this particular flaw was simple. Of course, he'd need to get in touch with the right people at TRIST. The Head of the Domestic Products Division would be perfect to arrange this. . .

_Perhaps I should bring it up at ____TRIST's _next Weekly Status Meeting? he thought snarkily._ I really want to see the look on Sakuya's face when I tell them I need enough sunglasses to fit out all the Salamander troops!_

**-Fin-**


	6. an NPC - Heresy

**Fort De Bellegarde - Heresy**

**by _an NPC_**

**xxxxxxxxxx**

The captain paces along the walls of the courtyard, giving his weekly speech to the men of Fort de Bellegarde about discipline.

"Make no mistake about it men, there are elves here in Tristain. The Royal Family may have said that they're not elves, and that they're going to enlighten Tristain. Well, I don't care about that. As far as I know, the pointy eared fiends could be elven HERETICS. Traitors to their own kind and everything they stand for. But they're still elves. That makes them TWICE AS HERETICAL!

Now that they're here, amongst us, let me lay down some ground rules for you dogs!

I want every single one of you to watch them closely if they're going around our base! Allowing them free reign of the fort is HERESY!

The elven 'officers' they've assigned us may speak of things such as equality between nobles and commoners. Do not listen to them! They speak of HERESY!

I don't care whether they can repair your armour ten times better and faster than John Smith down the road. Engaging their services is HERESY!

Despite how beautiful and cute their women are, they're still elves! Consorting with them on purpose and taking one to bed is HERESY!

If they start consorting with you and attempts to take you to bed, however unlikely that seems, you are to ignore them. To do otherwise is HERESY!

HERESY WILL BE STAMPED OUT WITH JUSTICE SEEKING FIREBALLS.

Have I made myself understood?! Yes. You in the back?"

"What about the pixies?"

"... yes, what about the pixies?"

"Are they elves?"

"... no."

"So, as a sort of, kind of just out of the way sort of question, would it be fine to consort with-"

"THAT'S EXTRA HERETICAL!"

"What about the catgirls then, sir?"

The captain turns to the fort chaplain behind him, and they have a short, but heated debate. The captain turns to the men, his face slightly flushed,

"... there are no objections to this."

And there was much rejoicing.


	7. an NPC - Integration Issues

**Fort De Bellegarde - Integration Issues**

**by _an NPC_**

**xxxxxxxxxx**

_These extracts, from a chain of correspondence between General de Gramont and a Captain Lecarde (at the time stationed at Fort de Bellegarde,_) _are one of several letters in the archives detailing the complaints held by the commissioned officers during the integration of Faerie forces into the Tristainian military._

**xxxxxxxxxx**

To General Gramont,

Begging your pardon sire, but I must raise a few issues regarding the presence of these Faeries in my fort. To begin with, my men are getting sedu- increasingly distracted from their duties by the presence of so many women. This is a serious disciplinary problem, particularly considering the position of Bellegarde in relation to the recently appearing groups of 'hostile mobs' that the Faeries brought with them. Previously, I've had to restrict the issuance of weekend passes to the nearby town to keep the men focused, but now I've had to try and keep them out of the fort.

The amount of heret- flirtation between the numerous female warriors the Faeries have brought with them and the constant oggling and attempts by my men to impress them have been insufferably common. More than a few times I and several other officers have caught men trying to take certain Faeries into town, and whilst I have been able to issue the correct punishment to my men, the Faerie officers are not disciplining their own appropriately.

Which brings me to a second point: Why are there so many women in this particular Faerie unit? I understand that the Cait Syth are supremely skilled amongst the Faeries with their beasts, but their whimsical nature and the mostly female gender ratio is unbecoming of proper soldiers and is the cause. With this, I respectfully request that the current Faerie unit be replaced with a more appropriately staffed male-heavy unit, such as the ones fielded by the Salamanders, with limited numbers of Cait Syth beast handlers.

Finally, though the presence of skilled Faerie smiths and armourers is appreciated, I am requesting a new issuance of grindstones, hammers and anvils, as our current supplies, as well as that of the town, have been reduced greatly in the wake of their work in reworking all of our armour and weapons.

Yours faithfully,  
Captain C. Lecarde

**xxxxxxxxxx**

Captain Lecarde,

Yes, we will get to work on delivering additional tools for metal work. They should arrive in the next three weeks. This has been a common problem all along the country due to the furious pace of work the Faeries have been conducting in improving our arsenal and becoming more familiar with our weapons.

No, despite the distraction they pose, there are no current plans to transfer the Cait Syth out of mob heavy areas. Most of the Salamander units have been redirected for additional training and reorganisation and will continue to do so until further notice.

On the discipline problem, I have discussed with their military leaders, and they are beginning to issue orders to fix this issue. in the meantime, I would advise you keep an eye on the Cait Syth stationed at Fort de Bellegarde and ensure nothing adverse occurs between them and the men. I understand from my contacts in the diplomatic service that it is only in their nature to be playful, and that they bore easily.

I have it on good word that they enjoy playing with string on a regular basis. Perhaps this may help alleviate the boredom associated with military life, for both sides.

General Belgen de Gramont


	8. an NPC - Faerie Battle Singers

**Fort De Bellegarde - Faerie Battle Singers**  
**by****_ an NPC_**

_An off-duty soldier recounts his time serving with the Puca battle-singers at Fort de Bellegarde..._

**xxxxxxxxxx**

"Have you ever seen a Faerie Battle Singer? The first time I saw one in action was during one of those, 'mob patrols' in the early months since their arrival here.

Now, you all know what it's like to hear the Faerie musicians and bards in the taverns and at their festivals, the melodies and the sounds of cheer and good times in the air. They say that music soothes the soul and is amongst one of the greatest creations of God in His Heaven. But when they say that Faerie music is magical, I didn't believe it at first. I thought, they were good, perhaps some of the best bards in the land, but musicians all the same.

Hmph. Kind of helps that Faerie women look as good as they sound. Lovely creatures, all shapes and all kinds... but I'm rambling.

It was that day in early fall that our unit's original Faerie attachment was rotated out. Our original bunch of Faeries were mostly Cait Syth. I think, they got rotated over to another unit in some outpost somewhere, to deal with some kind of mob swarm? Said they needed to get some wildlife experts in. Whatever it was, we had to accept one of the reserve units to replace them. Now, if the Cait Syth were spry, athletic folk, the Puca that replaced them?

Couldn't believe they were soldiers at first. They all looked so... different to the Cait Syth. Yes, that's a good word, different. Softer features than the Cait, mostly blondes and brunettes. Softer, fairer, more dainty. Most of them were mages, staves and wands being fairly common, unlike the more heavily armed felines. Most also had their arming swords, but by and by they preferred to keep their distance, bombard things from range like our own mage officers. But what was surprising was this one group of musicians. Musicians, proper musicians. Not drummers or buglers, proper musicians with fiddles and flutes and all sorts of strange instruments.

And these were soldiers, we were told. Not the finest of soldiers, but soldiers none the less.

Their first few days at the fort were very interesting. I remember our sergeant was laughing about some sort of outrageous request the Fae made to the captain, something about whether they could play music in the courtyard, liven the mood slightly, give a bit of um, 'bee-gee-emm' to the area. It's a Faerie thing, something about music playing at all times for the ambience or something like that. Later that day, some of these Puca musicians set up their instruments in the fort's courtyard. And this one beautiful Puca lady, slim and prim and proper all, walks to the centre of the musicians gathered there.

And she started singing to this wonderful tune.

So fantastical! It felt like our limbs were as light as the day we were born. Magic borne of music, so calming and serene. I think the entire barracks came out to see the lady and her musicians sing and play. I think... I think many of us were quite surprised when we heard their music. It was comfortingly familiar, yet strangely inhuman, like... like the Faeries themselves, come to think of it. Hah. Over the next weeks, we had these weekly performances by the lady and her band of players. I know for a fact, that a few of the officers and a few of the men tried to uh, court her. Such a tease she was, too. She'd let them close enough to hear and to see, but never close enough to touch.

But as usual, duty comes first. Everyone in the fort had to do their shift on patrolling the forests. Even the musicians, funnily enough. I guess my detachment got lucky enough to be assigned to her on that eventful day. Scouts and earlier patrols were confirming what the Cait Syth had told us weeks ago; Dagger Dogs were making their way to the area. Nasty beasts those. Clever enough to wield blades, fast and coordinated. Nothing like fighting orcs or bandits.

We got ambushed near the old river crossing. I remember that our first sign of trouble was this sound... this whining, a high keen like that of a feral wolf. The Cait trained us well. Keep the pack separated and at length. Wait for them to lunge at you with those daggers, then take their flanks as they pass. Keep the mages safe and with a good sight line. We told the lady and her retinue, armed as they were with staves, to keep to the centre of the formation so we could block for them, to 'aggro' the dogs and keep them occupied while they casted.

That was when I heard her sing a song of battle.

If a Faerie Ambient Song is comforting, calming, then the sound of a Faerie War Song was unworldly, terrifying! It electrified us. We felt aware, faster and keener than before. It was like we were all possessed by some spirit of battle, hearing this strange and alien sound resonating in our minds, the melancholic tune echoing through the woods. I felt emptiness, a strange emptiness as I swung into the hide of one beast, like, my body was not it's own. My sword felt like it was guiding itself, that my limbs were moving by themselves as I watched. Everything was so fluid, so... unreal, like a dream. Where the Dagger Dogs leapt, we matched them strike for strike with our swords, a feat many of us had never managed under the Cait Syth, who often took the brunt of the beast assaults with their lightning reflexes. We carved through the pack in short order, forcing them to run, tails between their legs.

After the battle as our arms grew heavy once more and our minds returned to ourselves, our sergeant marched right up to her, demanded to know what sorcery she used on us. She said she applied a 'buff' on us. A Song of Striking, to guide and improve our accuracy against the agile hounds. It was a powerful supportive magic, fairly common amongst their kind. She boasted that there are those amongst her kind who were much more skilled than her with songcraft, that they could sing songs of war that could bring strength to the weary, bring the wounded to their feet... and bring death to their enemies from afar.

If that Song of Striking was one of their common songs of war, I pray to the Founder that their songmasters never find a use for their finest dirges."


	9. an NPC - Treason!

**Fort De Bellegarde - Treason!**  
**by _an NPC_**

_Shortly after the news of Wardes' betrayal and the attempted assassination of Prince Wales, Captain Lecarde lectures his men on loyalty and integrity..._

**xxxxxxxxxx**

The Captain paces along the walls of the courtyard, giving an emergency speech to the men of Fort de Bellegarde about loyalty.

"I know everyone here has heard the rumours, that an officer of the most respectable and honoured of corps, the Royal Griffin Knights... has turned traitor. I dare not confirm what I've heard, for the mere idea of disloyalty to Her Majesty is akin to disloyalty to the Founder. And disloyalty to the Founder is equal to HERESY in my books!

I stand here today to dispel all that talk. Whatever you may or may not have heard from a certain camp messenger, I want to make it clear what has indeed actually happened, to end this nonsensical speculation and rumour-mongering.

YES, Viscount Wardes of the Royal Griffin Knights **has** defected whilst on a diplomatic mission to Albion, making him a TRAITOROUS MONGREL!

Such an act is a violation of his oath of honour to Queen and Country! TREACHERY! THE SECOND WORST SIN ON THIS EARTH.

YES, he has thrown in his lot with the ridiculous rabble-rousers that make up Reconquista, making him not only a TRAITOR, but a HERETIC as well!

AND HERESY IS THE ABSOLUTE WORST SIN ON THIS EARTH, THUS MAKING HIM TEN TIMES AS HERETICAL!

NO, the Royal Griffin Knights have not in fact taken up arms against the Royal family!

Such a fact would be preposterous, and HERETICAL, and as the entire regiment is made up of true God-fearing men, any such talk of their apparent dissension should be regarded as HERESY. In fact, the entire regiment have sworn to hunt Wardes down like the TRAITOROUS MONGREL HE IS, making them the very opposite of heretics! PARAGONS OF VIRTUE! Truly becoming that which exemplifies our finest military traditions!

Take their example to heart, and DAMN THOSE FOOLISH REBELS. DAMN THEM AND THEIR HERETICAL TREACHERY! They can all go ahead and die in the field, because they are lost to the righteous cause of the Founder and his noble crusade!

What is more, I've heard idle speculation from some quarters, that the heir to the throne of Albion, His Royal Highness, Prince Wales, was assassinated, by the very same traitor! As I have said, this is IDLE SPECULATION. Any such preposterous musings should be laid aside for the time being, until a Royal Proclamation has been made to confirm or deny it categorically!

If this was true, then it merely confirms to us the extent of Wardes' terrible fall from grace! This was not the act of a brave, honourable warrior, no, this is the act of a craven fool! He seeks to cheat his way into the good grace of God and destroy all that is sacred and holy in this land, along with his crazed masters in Reconquista! For his sins he will burn in HELL with the rest of the elves when justice comes for them. DAMN THEM ALL TO HELL!

For his apostasy, the TRAITOR Wardes has had all of his titles and lands revoked and has been declared an outlaw! Let this be a lesson to all of you to be ever alert for the signs of disloyalty and TREACHERY! Report any and all signs of traitorous intent to your sergeants, to Chaplain Mathieu or to me. Your word will be taken in confidence and we will do our utmost to investigate any claims of disloyalty and treachery with all due concern.

Finally, there have been some terrible words being uttered here, of some sort of plan by the Albion rebels to invade Tristain. SUCH TALK IS NONSENSE! We are as likely to be invaded by that ragtag bunch of incompetents as the Emperor of Germania is likely to break off his marriage with our fair and noble Princess, which is to say, a RIDICULOUS idea. I daresay, that if there is any invading to be done, it will be done by US! We, the rightful and virtuous warriors of Brimir's own, will invade them! OUR FLEETS WILL RISE AGAINST THE WHITE LANDS AND WE SHALL KILL THAT DOG CROMWELL! YES! GLORY TO HER RIGHTEOUS MAJESTY, OUR MOST VIRTUOUS AND BENEVOLENT QUEEN! WE SHALL SMITE HER FOES IN HER-

_Mmhm, Mathieu? T-tone it down?! What? Nononono, I was..._

... right... Ahem.

I expect not to hear a single word more on this, or any other such heresay, from this day forth! Any further talk will be dealt with in the most severe of ways, starting with the confiscation of weekend passes and double armoury duty with the Leprechauns!

COMPANY DISMISSED."


	10. Anzer'ke - Francois' Tutor

**Francois' Tutor**  
**by ****_Anzer'ke_**

**xxxxxxxxxx**

Francois had that look.

Even out the corner of her eye she could see the signs. Cheeks puffed, spindly neck straining for height and his eyes welling up with righteous fury. He had fallen behind her on the street by half a pace, as his stride stiffened and his steps inched closer to outright stomping. The fuse was lit and the explosion was quite clearly on its way, so it was time for an Undine speciality.

Mari Sto'fee put on her most imperious mask and whirled on her charge. He made to launch into his tantrum early but she cut him off, plucking the practice wand from one of his swinging fists and raising a calm eyebrow as he spluttered and gaped like a landed Snaptooth. The audacity of taking a nobleman's wand had shocked him off balance. Now for the suplex.

He would begin his standard rant on the rights of nobles and their scions in another few seconds. So she steadied her features, folded her hands together at her waist and then gave him a glare developed through a lifetime of delinquency and refined by a dozen other brats. Her previous life proved its worth as the pre-teen noble paled and went absolutely silent. Finally remembering how scary his flawlessly dignified Faerie Tutor could be.

_'Yosh! Fuse successfully drenched!'_

Now that the anger had been crushed, she could release the illusion of semi-maternal terror and deal with the problem. Still, she'd quickly lose control if she gave the brat an opening so she kept a firm grip on the junior magic stick.

He was too proud to cry, but a few frustrated sniffles were starting to work their way out. Still he looked her straight in the eye and pled his case.

"I have already finished all my lessons for the day; I should be allowed to have a cream bun!" He pointed furiously back at the desert stand and its bemused leprechaun proprietor. Drawing the momentary attention of everyone, Fae and Human, in the busy Arrun high street.

_'Yeah, if by finish you meant; whine and complain until the Pixies almost kicked us out of the library and then "accidentally" set all your work on fire!'_ "What have I said about raising your voice?"

"That is not befitting of my rank, family or personal character." he recited, only stumbling a little before he continued, "I apologise Sto'fee, h-however I am sure that-"

_'Rude little twit, I swear one day I'm gonna hang him over a pond and dunk him 'til he begs for mercy!'_ "Ahem."

"Ah, I apologise Sto'fee-Ane-son. I mean san!" He fumbled the "Faerie" suffixes for the thousandth time and then got back to his pleading with a single-minded dedication that she could just about imagine transforming into his mother's quiet willpower someday. "I promise I will still finish my supper. After all it's only a single bun, I'm sure I'll be hungry again by the time we get home."

The part of her that had drawn her to this line of work pleaded that however obnoxious he was still just a kid, one bun was hardly a big deal if it made him happy. The rest of her recalled the complete failure of his lessons that day and knew what had to be done.

"Well Francois-kun, I suppose I can get you a bun from that stand." She smiled right back at his triumphant grin, "I'll just contact your father first, I'm sure he'd want to be updated on your lessons."

"I-I-I'm sure my father wouldn't want to be bothered-"

"Don't you worry about that Francois, your father was very pleased about this trip to Arrun Library. I'm sure he'll want to congratulate you on _finishing_ your lessons so promptly." For the first time he looked not just scared but worried, it seemed he finally remembered that his work dodging might backfire when his parents heard of it. "Why for such a performance I may have to purchase two buns."

"…No, I should not spoil my appetite before supper. I will wait until we are home tonight."

"That is wise of you Francois, however I didn't say the buns were for you in the first place. Anton! Annette!"

She was well aware that calling for the two rascals was completely unnecessary, her Tracer spells had been bound to them since the moment they left the library and she could see them shadowing her and Francois through the crowd just fine. Still, the young twins loved any scrap of adventure that they could find. So she let them think they were undetected.

Rather then respond to her call immediately, the twins opted to get as close as they could, plainly intending to try and scare her. Unfortunately for them, when they jumped out from behind a bemused looking pair of Salamanders, they found only their older brother. Then she dropped down behind them and swept them both up into her arms, taking a moment to just enjoy the open glee. After all, sooner or later she was sure their world would beat it from them, just not while she was around.

A swift bit of backtracking had them with a cream bun apiece, except Francois. Though she relented enough to pretend not to notice the twins slipping him pieces of theirs. After all, she had the entire journey back to Tristania in which to impress upon him the consequences of avoiding his lessons.


	11. Anzer'ke - A Knight Attack

**A Knight Attack**  
**by ****_Anzer'ke_**

**xxxxxxxxxx**

_A young pixie's alter-ego devises a most devious plan..._

**xxxxxxxxxx**

This time her plan couldn't possibly fail.

She had passed the message to Lily through three of her ever helpful Little Sisters, ensuring there would be no way to trace it and devise that it was a trap. The message itself had been simple but intriguing, a delicately sculpted temptation that had taken entire hours of work.

_To Healer Lady,_

_I found a super helpful healing plant. I want to show it to you since you are so smart and pretty. _

_Please come to this place. Alone._

_From a Pixie who you do not know and have never met before_

On the other side had been a finely drawn map, the whole thing written in perfectly normal petal ink, though blood had seemed so much more appropriate for the closing stroke of her great battle.

Truly it was her proudest work to date. Even the finest of battle plans drawn up in her days as a Knight had been flawed and petty things by comparison. The lure was perfectly baited for that huge, ugly creature to fall into. Like a blundering...thing. A big fat blundering thing. Who was really too tall for any girl, what did someone even need all that height for? Just being too big, that was what.

Of course the lure was only the first part of the trap, so she had woken early and snuck out of the Garden every day for the last week and constructed a trap to match the lure.

Unforunately, she no longer had access to loyal Vespid Knights ready to drive Dagger Dogs in concert. Her experiments with doing so alone had...

"_Good dog. Good dog."_

_grrruuuu_

"_Uh, I am a Knight of the Garden and, and I command you to-!"_

_whiiiiieoo, clik, clik, _

"_Ah, wait! I'm not tasty, you want to eat some nice berries, here you can have mi- Aieeeeeeeek!"_

_crash, crack, clik, clik "Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee-" grrrooof! clik, clik "-eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee-" wwwhheeeooo, smash, clik"-eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee-"_

Well, no use dwelling on the uncooperative creatures. Though they would be punished appropriately when she regained her true strength. Daring to chase a Knight for so long, and then surrounding the tree she took refuge in. The embarrassment of being found by the others all damp with, uh, sweat. Yes it had definitely been sweat...

In hardly mattered now though, she had observed the young beings while in the company of the enormous healer -really, why anyone would want to be around someone so heavy was beyond her reasoning- and seen them playing a game. They would fill balls of woven plants with water, then toss the leaky projectiles at one another. Which, combined with the naturally far superior crafting of a Pixie, had given her the vehicle for her deadly concoction.

The most dangerous poisons she could obtain, all mixed together into one sweet smelling liquid. As Hinagiku had described it, her blood would turn to jelly just in time for her to be frozen in place as her brain boiled and her teeth melted. Then it got really nasty but that had been the point she had fallen prey to Shion's slumbering thoughts and next thing she knew she was cowering behind one of the Shamans while the other's looked at Hinagiku disapprovingly.

The payload had then been rigged to a bent branch and an array of Terrorantular Silk, the result would be as simple as it was effective. The big stupid healer lady would step into the clearing, see the flower and note (blank so as not to leave evidence) on the stump in the middle, step over to it and promptly step on the silken thread. The trap would spring and she'd be pelted with high grade poison.

Then the Count would have no one to keep him company and she would easily be able to get close to him and, uh, take over the area. Yes, this was all for the sake of her fight with the beings. The Count would of course need to be kept around in the long term, his knowledge of the beings would be invaluable once she turned him to her cause. She had heard that removing her clothing would allow for this, though she wasn't quite sure how embarrassing herself was meant to help.

Her thoughts scattered at the sound of footsteps through the forest, now all her plans would begin. Soon the beings would tremble before her as she sat on the Count's head. Yes, he would make a fine mount as she returned to battle. Just a little longer until the pair of footsteps entered...wait, pair?

Sure enough it was a steady double rhythm, even reduced as she was Sayuri could recognise the difference. For a moment she dared to hope that it was the healer's annoying smaller version, despite the clearly near-equal weight of the steps. Sure enough when the figures emerged into the clearing one was the healer and the other was the Count, his face brightened by a noble smi-.

No. This wasn't the time for considering her prospective mount's appearance, he was about to bare witness to her trap. He was clearly planning on walking together with that woman.

What was worse. The Count was leading the way!

Oh damn him for being so brave, and handsome, and distinguished. If only he was not so wonderful even towards the horrible, heavy, stupid healer woman. If only he was not about to step on the thread!

She had no idea why but the thought of the Count's teeth melting was completely wrong. So Sayuri summoned up her true nature and did the only thing left for a Knight to do. She gave of her life to protect another.

"Noooooooooooooooooooooooooo!" Cried a shrill voice, a blur of motion coming out of the forest and intersecting another blur quite neatly. The sound of spilling liquid came as both blurs hity the ground and resolved into a dishevelled Pixie, wrapped in bits of grass and soaking wet.

Looking tearfully up at the count, even now looking down at her with such concern, Sayuri did not regret giving her life. After all, even if he was a being he was within her forest right now. What was more, she did owe him her life, this was only the chivalry of a Knight repaying such a debt. Now if only some splash of this terrible, vile poison had landed in the vast mouth of that huge great woman, then this would have been the death of a valiant warrior.

Still, Sayuri was a little surprised that she was not in more burning fits of agony. Hadn't Hinagiku said it took effect within moments? Maybe the mix had made it a little slower acting?

To her horror it was not the count but the stupid healer that reached down and plucked her from the ground. She feigned unconsciousness in response to the queries aimed at Shion. If she was to end here then her last words would be aimed at someone less large and pointlessly heavy. So it was with delight that she felt the gentle touch of one of the Count's fingers.

Peaking through a cracked eyelid she went bright red with embarrassment when he licked the finger. Closely followed by horror, what had he done! She hadn't wanted thi-

"Herbal tea I believe. Someone's idea of a prank, well at least you protected us Shion."

Any glee at his words that might have filled her reeling mind was blasted away by the healer's grating voice talking about how she would make an excellent Knight one day. As if she was currently anything less than a noble Knight of the Garden.

It occurred to Sayuri, perhaps a little late, that asking Hinagiku for the identities of the most poisonous plants in the forest might have been overly trusting.

Her revenge, involving a full dozen scaled down water balls and a long drop, would be swift and decisive. It would also start a game among the Little Sisters which she would come to despise.


	12. Blinded - True Names of Faeries

**True Names of Faeries  
by**_** Blinded**_

**xxxxxxxxxx**

_Extracted from Index to Races of Firstborn 15th edition by Paolo Masini:_

Of many peculiarities of the Faeries, the first things that caught attention of the humans and went so far as being included in Kingdom of Tristain's very first documents in regard to Faery culture, was their names.

While initially the Faeries lacked the ability to read in any known languages except their own runes, their mastery of languages of Halkegenia and beyond was on-par with Spirits. However this gift of Tongues rarely extended to their names, often time one worded jumbles of strange noises that went beyond understanding of human scholars.

Odder still was presence of those with proper and widely recognized halkegenian names from different countries and different periods of history, names such as Alicia Rue, Klein, Mortimer, Morgiana and Eugene, and far away lands such as Rub al Khali, names such as Imran and (which is noted to be from the same root as elven name Ari).

It was name of the famed Undine scholar-philosopher and first Count of Orlein, Lord Thinker that finally shed some light into the mystery. It was only a matter of deduction to realize that the famous Faery intellectual was indeed named after this trait of his.

Upon further questioning and study it was revealed that with very few exception Faeries rarely, if ever, used their True Names from their mystical home-plane of IRL and considered using their True Names by those NOT explicitly permitted to be a very rude gesture.

In order to avoid using their true name the Faeries generally use Avatar/Alias Name, names generally picked on whim or based on significant events of life by the Faery themselves. According to the Author's observations a Faery picks an Avatar's Name as soon as he or she is able to use his or her wings to fly unaided.

It is unclear whether or not hiding their True Name is merely cultural oddity of Faeries or has greater significance and if the housewives talks about how knowing a Faery's name allows you to exert some degree of power over him or her is just wishful thinking or not but this rarely hindered curious scholars and adventurers from trying to pry these True Names.

In one particular incident the heretical Oliver Cromwell of the accursed Reconquestia spent a fortune and lives of many of his tristanian supporters in order to obtain True Name of significant Faery Figures in order to use against the Faeries. During the height of War of the Faeries agents of the arch-heretic uttered True Name of five of the nine the Faery Lords and several other significant figures such as the infamous Black Swordsman in front of the allied Faery-Tristain army and commanded them to obey the Heretic.

Even now it is unclear if Cromwell's failure and resulting ridicule which earned him the name Cromwell the Coot was born of his misplaced faith in housewives tales or yet another feat of counter-espionage by the famous Faery Spymaster "Rat", leaving significance of the True Name as one of the unresolved mysteries around Firstborn race of Fae.


	13. Blinded - Arrun City Watch

**Arrun City Watch: A Recruitment Story.**  
**by _Blinded_**

**xxxxxxxxxx**

As far as Jensen and Vakarian knew there were not enough cops and law enforces in entire ALfheim to fill all the empty rooms in the City Watch they, along with some of their other fellow policemen and women and some of the JSDF guys were tasked to create, and even then most of them preferred or were otherwise needed to work with the ALfheim Self-Defense force or Mob Patrols.

It was a blessing that the Lords managed to keep the Tristainians out of ALfheim affairs for the most part and most of the people were too shocked by the Transition to start going about their daily lives... and start breaking law, or rules. The former was up to the Lords' office to handle and the latter would change in time and it was going to be a task for the newly minted City Watch to deal with.

All in all meant they had some recruiting to do and recruitment needed a clear bare minimum requirement. It was easy on the paper: You are a volunteer who has all the admittedly not so high standards, you are in for a Trial period of six months and if the Pros, like the detective duo themselves, fit you for the job you were in.

In practice it was an entirely different story. The players wore fairy masks for a reason and almost without exception everyone played a game of pretense, and of course the real-life was still to fresh a wound and private a matter to press the volunteers for.

And it was this part of recruitment that landed Jensen and Vakarian in a gloomy reception room in Arrun Watch's HQ for the day.

Vakarian looked up from his list at the latest volunteer, a Puca girl with their typical fair skin, bright brown eyes and matching hair pulled into a tight ponytail, and a rather generic looking heavy armor of middle-tier that was usually preferred by Leprechauns and Gnome skirmishers.

"Have a seat Whisper-san," Jensen started as he, rather dramatically arranged his notes "how was your day?"

"It was fine, thank you for asking... sir"

"Whisper-san, as you are aware it is considered to be rude to inquire about IRL background of people," the Puca nodded. Vakarain smiled to himself as he noticed te Puca's slowly narrowing eyes and clenched fist. Good, she had actually guessed where Jensen was going with this and even though it seemed to be a painful subject, she still stood her ground. "However, a member of the City Watch who is tasked with keeping everyone else safe needs to fit certain qualifications and as such we need to ask you questions that might include IRL. Are you alright with this?"

"Yes Sir."

"Though I must add" Vakarian, cut in "if you found any of our questions too personal or painful, we don't expect you to answer them." In fact as far as Vakarian knew some of the interviewers actually asked such questions to both test the recruits under pressure and see if they are faking their IRL background, but frankly he didn't see it within himself OR Jensen to act so callously, and instead had chosen to trust his own instincts.

"Well... first things first" siad Jensen "starting with a simple question, how old are you?"

As far as Vakarian was aware that was a lie. All they had to work with in this regard was whatever the volunteers themselves said and there was no way to see if they are lying or not unless someone knew them IRL. (Un)Fortunately the age, so long as it was above fourteen, was not exactly an issue. Majority of ALO's players were aged between fourteen and nineteen which meant they were not of legal age in Japan, but the same teenagers also made up majority of active Mob Patrol members (despite ALfheim's social activists' unheeded protests), and besides, this world of Halkegenia had different ideas about Legal Age.

"Sixteen, sir"

"Sixteen, eh?" Jensen raised an skeptical eyebrow "I don't suppose you have any experience with our line of work, do you?" Very few of their recruits actually did, and those who _said_ they did were usually lying... like that one Salamander who had recited some old anime character's bio, Strawberry Cleaner or something, and unfortunately for him his interviewer, Iskandar-san, a burly gnome with red enough a hair to make any salamander proud, and a security guard IRL, was a big-time Otaku himself.

"No Sir."

"Not even in your Faction?" a shake of head, "Then why do you think you are up to the task Whisper-san?"

"My father was a police" Whisper not-exactly-blurted, "And I wanted to become one after him IRL!"

Jensen exchanged a look with Vakarian, there was definitely more to this than what she said, but it was not exactly their place to dig it out and she looked honest enough about it which all that mattered to them, really. Where they stood even a flimsy reason like "I think I have it in me" was enough to start with. After all Vakarian himself didn't become a cop because he had dreams of becoming a Hero of Justice... just wanting to be like his teenage-hood idol.

"Moving on." Vakarian broke the slightly awkward silence "Your application form says you have been involved in over half a dozen major raids and two boss fights back in ALO which is all well and good, but do you have any IRL experience too?"

"I was vice-captain of my high school's Kyudo club and practiced Kendo too... and I was part of the Mob patrols under Ephi-san's command."

"Then why not stay with the Patrols? After all they are equally important for safety of our people."

" Whisper-san?"

"... They were not like Cops."

'So a selfish desire to help the society in a different way... could be worse.' Vakarian thought to himself.

"Do you hate any particular faction, Whisper-san?"

"No anymore, Sir"

"Oh?"

"Back when it was all... it was all a game, I didn't like Salamanders because they were just a bunch of gankers" Whisper dropped her head... it was true Vakarian supposed, majority of those who sticked with the Faction were indeed gankers and the organization done by Lord Mortimer only made them more efficient. One could say the same strategy that made Salamanders the strongest faction in-game also made them the least liked by members of the other Factions "But now we, everyone of us are Japanese people and ALO's factions don't really matter anymore!"

Vakarian tried not to look guilty at the declaration. It was true and at least on the intellectual levels, anyone who wasn't a crazy LARPer admitted it but he, a man of over thirty and a full-fledged cop in IRL could not put enough conviction behind such a declaration himself, after all being an adult had only served to make him realize people usually look after their own and right now he was a Faery of Salamander faction.

"Well... thank you for your cooperation, Whipser-san, and regardless of how your application turns out the Arrun Watch is honored by your sense of commitment. If everything goes fine will contact you within first three days for Skill-related tests, have a good day."

"Thank you for your time" said Whisper with a bow before turning to leave.

As the door closed behind the Puca, Jensen took a big gulp from his water bottle and sighed " This was the last for the day... and thank God nobody brought up that annoying _arrow in the knee _thing either..."


	14. Blinded - Mikal the Musician

**Mikal the Musician**  
**by ****_Blinded_**

**xxxxxxxxxx**

Belarion liked Halkegenia much more than he did his faraway homeland, the fresh feel of the forest, the living earth and the world that was enough without meddling of magic and spirits. If only this land was not blighted by mewling spawns of the Devil, the pathetic subjects of his mission, the humans.

Their presence both soured the sweet taste of nature and shortened his stay just as it was source of his presence in first place. To walk among the primitives, see state of their kingdoms and renew connection with their human agents, it was an easy mission all in all, and if not for the change of scenery a complete waste of time.

Humans like the hooded mage who sat right across the fire and clumsily fiddled with his violin.

"You know what makes a long and boring night, short and interesting, my fellow traveler?" said the human in a surprisingly mild and definitely masculine voice.

"What?" the Elf asked, shuddering at disgusting memories of another conversation that started with the very same word and ended with a dozen dead humans and a new disguise for him. If the monkey so much as suggested-

"Magic and music!"

Or not, though prospect of watching human magic and listening to their music wasn't all that appealing either.

"Oh?"

"Yeah, magic and music, and the kind that makes sure the mob don't bother us for the night."

"And where did you learn such music and magic, the Fae?" Belarion asked cautiously. The Fae, strange nine races of flying supposedly elf-like creatures were an unknown to the Firstborn, as if appearing out of nowhere with their cities and monstrous mobs and strange magics. Belarion's personal opinion of the Fae was not all that high, especially considering just how easily they seemed to have become subservient to human kingdom of Tristain but it not wise to underestimate even a mouse this far away from home.

"You could say that" the human said with a chuckle "tis' a song I've learned from Faeries of Puca tribe, the bard Fae. Care to listen?"

"Why not" shrugged the disguised elf "but what about the magic you said?"

"My good fellow, music IS magic. Now listen and listen well! I have heard at the end of this song a Blood Eagle will fly!"

**xxxxxxxxxx**

Mikal grinned with satisfaction as the human, eyes wide and wild with shock and undisguised fear fell to ground as the Song of Chains bound him helpless within his own body.

It didn't matter when or where, in virtual world of ALfheim or all too real world of Halkegenia, the innocent, mild face and tone of his Puca avatar always people at ease even if they knew about Song Magic.

Putting his violin aside, he removed the hood that covered his pointed ears and distinctly Fae features and chuckled at sharp intake of his latest audience.

So real! So exhilarating! Mikal couldn't understand why so many people moaned and bitched about the whole transition deal. After all what else one could hope but for his fantasy to become reality? These humans were much more real than any Fae he'd killed back in ALfheim as if they were actually real humans and seeing them squirm, their wide, wild eyes, their erratic breathing, the pounding of their heart and the red, salty and metallic tasting life blood as their veins were opened… no feeling in the world could match that!

"I haven't seen one before, Blood Eagle I mean" Mikal murmured under his breath as he pulled the frozen man's dagger from his belt, a beautiful, well-balanced thing with razor sharp blade, a perfect loot! "Let's see if we can make one fly you and I?"


	15. Blinded - Heathcliff's Doujin

**Heathcliff's Doujin  
by ****_Blinded_**

**xxxxxxxxxx**

_It was a thing of beauty, of lovingly carved heavy woods and polished black surface that reflected the light like a dark pool. Keys, black on white, waiting for hands of a master to strike them and let the heavenly music flow... but alas it was not to be._

_*BOOOOOM!"_

_Julio: YOU ALMOST KILLED ME!_

_Louise: I WAS trying to kill you you perverted dog! Now stand still and DIE!_

Heathcliff smiled to himself as he added the finishing touches of his latest work. Being familiar-of-sorts to a barely adult girl kept in the middle of nowhere, as interesting as observing her antics were, could be mind numbingly boring at times, which had led him to pick up a hobby.

To put it simply the former commander of Knights of Blood was a man fascinated with stories and while he was a fan of epic fantasy of heroes and villains, he didn't dislike romantic comedy with heavy dose of Tsundere and_ real_ magic either.

And it was so happened that Louise de La Valliere was a textbook tsundere too, and with that Julio fellow around it was just impossible to not give into temptation to make an story out of them.

The situations were designed and carefully planned. Timing, positioning, characters and tropes perfectly considered as only Heathcliff could: Julio walking right when Louise was changing clothes. Julio_ happened_ to be shield-bashed during a spar and flying right into the bath with the Valliere girl still there, Louise walking around the Monastery in her small clothes (or house clothes as she liked to call them) and Heathcliff himself playing the role of watchful guardian/angry father...

Until one day in a feat of rage Louise produced a mallet, one Heathcliff particularly remembered as a First Floor gear, out of thin air and bash the pretty priest-boy in the face.

The next day the Pope himself, a more of bishonen who went by Vittorio, had paid them a visit and not so discreetly encouraged Julio to get more such reactions out of the young noblewoman. Heathcliff had taken it as cue to make his plans more extreme... and help Louise with her visualizations... which led to Pianos, among other things dropping on the poor priest's head whenever Louise was irked.

With a masterful strike of his pen, also obtained curtsy of Louise's new-found ability, finished the scene where Julianus the Stable Boy rushes to his lover, Holy Knight Vivitto with teary eyes and beg him to _please_ forgive him for cheating on him and allow him to be released from his torment as caretaker of Dame Lila de la Vallapa.

_*BOOOM*_

Heathcliff let out a soft chuckle and allowed the unfolding scene in front of him to shape the next chapter of Halkegenia's very first doujin in his mind's eye.


	16. Draggon73 - Borrowing Cardinal's Toys

_[Bishop-chan's notes: The following chapter has spoilers concerning my true nature. Unless you want your eyes poked out- I mean, if you don't want to be spoiled, go read the next chapter or something. I'm not doing this to preserve your dignity or something, baka~]_

**Borrowing Cardinal's Toys  
by _Draggon73_**

**xxxxxxxxxx**

Kathy von Blücher wasn't an exceptional Mage. She was a shy, slightly mousy girl with some talent for earth magic and alchemy. She had been a first year student at the Tristain Academy of Magic during the Transition, the event that brought the Faeries to Halkegenia and changed everything. She had been sent to the Academy by her father for the prestige and opportunities that the oldest standing magic school in northern Halkegenia presented.

The upcoming unification between Tristain and Germania was also a factor, her family anticipated that marital unions between their aristocracies would become common soon after. As the youngest daughter of a wealthy, if rather low stationed family, she hoped for good match.

When the marriage union failed and the danger of Reconquista's invasion became more imminent, she and most of the other Germanian students would have normally withdrawn from Academy, but the Transition changed that. The students were in fact encouraged to remain and send any useful information home.

That had been a year ago. She had witnessed many wonderful and strange things throughout the year. Now she was a second year, and the time of the sacred familiar summoning ritual had come.

Normally only the students and their assigned teacher, professor Colbert, would be out in the field, but this year there were others too. Faeries from Arrun has come, as well as Queen Henrietta's representative Bishop Rubeis, representing the Church. Others guests had also attended, so the yard was rather full.

Most summoned familiars has been rather normal so far. Cats, dogs, rabbits, even a baby manticore. Of course, then came the stranger cases. One delighted Gallian girl summoned golden Feathered Dragon, a boisterous boy ended with giant flaming cockroach identified by faeries as starting Goubniu mob, and a small quiet girl summoned a rather loud animal identified as Chime Civet.

Then it was Kathy's turn. She hoped for some cute animal like the Civet, but feared that she would end up with a cockroach or some sort of spider. She despised them. Instead, there was explosion of colors and all the students and guests stared with her at her supposed familiar.

It was a dog, no a pup, but with three heads and already as large as calf.

**xxxxxxxxxx**

In the Arrun Central Library Bishop was *not* sulking. Cardinal really wasn't opposed to people borrowing her toys, but it would be polite to ask first.


	17. Infinite Freedo-Disposing the Hypotenus

_[Bishop-chan's notes: eeerh this is another spoilerific chapter regarding some subjects I've been observing.]_

**Disposing of the Hypotenuse**  
**by **_**Infinite** **Freedom**_

**xxxxxxxxxx**

"Yui-chan, could you help me with something?" The sound of her mother's voice ringing through her bedroom door caused Yui to look up.

"With what?" If it wasn't too hard she could get back to what she was doing quickly.

"Need to bury a body. Some Gallian spy thought cozying up to your father was good idea to get intel." Oh, now that would take a while. Maybe she shou- "And tell Bardiche that if he doesn't help, I'll tell your father what you two have been up to for the last hour."

Looking down at boy, who she had been making out with for the last hour, only one thing came to mind. As though they were of one mind a single word left their mouths, "Crap!" This was shortly followed with a "We'll be right down."

They'd just have to find Bardiche's shirt.


	18. Krytherian - The Impostor's End

_[Bishop-chan's notes: And here we find something akin to a parallel universe, where events happen somewhat differently...]_

**Halkegenia Online v2.0 - Ch 10 - Part 7 (34. Pursuit and Counter). The Barrayaran Version.  
by _Krytherian_**

**xxxxxxxxxx**

The female musketeer lead them into a conference chamber.

Midori took in the tableau, that paused to look back up at her from around the conference table. Captain Hammond was in the center. Lord Richmond and Prince Wales flanked him on either side, while Lady Asuna stood beside them, pointing at a map of the city, directing the recovery effort with all the skill and finesse she had gained from leading Aincrad's Boss Monster Strategy Meetings. A Griffin Knight was there, and Sir Bowen, amongst some other senior officers all in the formal uniforms they had worn to the gala. Clouds of witnesses.

Midori wanted to be alone with Asuna, to be rid of the whole mob of them. _Soon._

Asuna's eyes locked to Midori's, her lips curled in an utterly ironic smile. That was all; and yet Midori's stomach warmed in response, certain of the connection between them. They were in step, and a torrent of words and embraces could not have communicated it any better. Midori's own lips curved up for the first time since the imposter's lunge towards Prince Wales had triggered the frantic chase.

Lord Richmond's hand slapped down hard upon the table. "Good God, woman, where have you been?" he cried furiously.

A morbid lunacy overtook Midori. She smiled fiercely at him, and held up the bag. "Shopping."

For a second, the old man nearly believed her; conflicting expressions whiplashed over his face, astonishment, disbelief, then anger as it penetrated he was being mocked.

"Want to see what I bought?" Midori continued, with a strange half smile, half grimace. She yanked the bag open, and rolled the Imposter's head out across the table. Fortunately, it had ceased leaking some minutes back. It stopped faceup before Richmond, lips grinning, drying eyes staring.

Richmond's mouth fell open. Prince Wales jumped, the staffers swore, and Sir Bowen actually fell out of his chair. Captain Hammond pursed his lips and raised his brows.

Guiche puffed, grinning triumphantly as he laid the last of his recently manufactured bronze swords on the table as further evidence.

Asuna was perfect. Her brown eyes widened only briefly, then she rested her chin on her hand and gazed over Richmond's shoulder with an expression of cool interest. "But of course," she breathed. "Every lady goes to the capital to shop."


	19. Nicholai - Forged Fangirls

_[Bishop-chan's notes: A scenario detailing what happens when weapons of war gain sentience. Remind me never to go to that musclewoman's place...]_

**Forged Fangirls**  
**by _Nicholai _**

**xxxxxxxxxx**

Kofu wiped the sweat from her brow as she placed the two finished swords in the rack to await their owner. _Hopefully these two will be less talkative than all the rest, _she sighed to herself.

"So you made us for someone special, right Momma?" the one on the left asked slowly. Lizbeth tried to ignore the vein above Kofu's temple that was beginning to tick rapidly.

"Yes, yes. You are a custom order for a very respected client, so behave yourselves!" Kofu snapped.

"Who is going to be wielding us?" the one on the right asked in it's chipper voice.

"That Super Spriggan Liz introduced me to a few weeks ago."

"Super Spriggan?" they asked in concert.

"Kofu-san is being rude. His name is Kirito," Lizbeth helpfully interjected.

Kofu blinked as the two swords seemed to vibrate in place. _This cannot be good_, she thought to herself.

"Kirito?" the one on the left asked quickly.

"Yes," Lizbeth answered with a puzzled look.

"The Black Swordsman, Kirito?"

"Yes," Lizbeth answered after a beat. "How do you know about him?"

At this point the two swords were actually bouncing around in the rack. Kofu bolted for the door.

**"SQUEEEEE!"**

**xxxxxxxxxx**

(An hour later at the local hospital)

"We think a Puca botched a cast near these two. It's the only explanation that makes sense for ruptured eardrums and what looks like a massive saccharine overdose."

"And why does the pinkette have a concussion?"

"Have you seen the hammer the other one is carting around?"


	20. Nicholai - Cravings

**Cravings**  
**by ****_Nicholai_**

**xxxxxxxxxx**

_A possible scenario regarding a certain Spriggan's pregnancy..._

**xxxxxxxxxx**

**Eugene:** Kirito, you have to help me!  
**Kirito:** What do you need, Eugene?  
**Eugene:** Morgiana wants something and Mortimer won't lend me a raid group.  
**Kirito:** Wait - you think I can stand in for an entire raid group?  
**Eugene:** Well, Mortimer said that only a fully prepared raid group was ever to engage you, so therefore you have to be a one-man-raid. Big Brother doesn't make mistakes about things like that.  
**Kirito:** Uh...  
**Eugene:** Come on, please! You have to help me. Morgiana wants Fresh Sand Worm Meat. She's been asking for it for two days.  
**Kirito:** She just wants the meat? Not the scales or teeth or other crafting materials?  
**Eugene:** No. Just the meat. She's having ... _*shudders*_ ... cravings.  
**Kirito:** _*opens mouth*_ ... _*closes mouth*_ ... _*opens mouth*_ ... Cravings?  
**Eugene:** Yeah. You must know. I mean you and Asuna already had your first child. Food cravings.  
**Kirito:** ... Morgiana is pregnant?  
**Eugene:** Yes. With our child. Haven't you heard.. hey! Wait! Damnit! Stop running! **_Kiritoooooo__ooooooo!_**


	21. Nicholai - Botan vs the General

**Botan vs the General**  
**by _Nicholai_**

**xxxxxxxxxx**

_A Tristanian General learns the importance - and cost - of Pixies the hard way..._

**xxxxxxxxxx**

**The General:** So let me get this straight.. you're saying that you can either be forward scouts and play to your strengths or you're going to keep recruiting these "boss mobs" and we'll have to feed them?  
**Botan:** Yes, sir! _*salutes*_  
**The General:** _*watches as the giant dragon outside his tent eats his horse*_ You drive a hard bargain, Pixie. What the devil is that thing?  
**Botan:** Oh, that's just a little Onyxia. The full-grown ones can be twice her size! She's a dragon.  
**The General:** I've seen dragons. I've ridden dragons into combat. That's not a dragon. That's a .. a .. monster!  
**Botan:** I think this is what Yui calls a "language issue." We call the cute little lizards that you call dragons "drakes." It's like comparing one of those little lap-poodles to a Dire Wolf Matriarch.  
**The General:** _*watches as the Onyxia starts eating another horse*_ How much does that thing eat in a day?  
**Botan:** About half her body weight in meat. She's still growing.  
**The General:** _*sigh*_ And what will it take to get you to take her home again?  
**Botan:** _*grins evilly*_ Well, the Gardens could use some "logistical support"...


	22. Nicholai - Mortimer's Castle

**Mortimer's Castle**  
**by ****_Nicholai_**

**_xxxxxxxxxx_**

_Two agents infiltrate the Salamander Lord's domain..._

**xxxxxxxxxx**

**Reconquista 1:** Okay, I've barricaded the door.  
**Reconquista 2:** And I've smashed the armor in the corner.  
**Reconquista 1:** You've checked for those blasted pixies in the chandelier, right?  
**Reconquista 2:** _*shudders*_ After what happened to number 3? Hell yes!  
**Reconquista 1:** And the bookshelves?  
**Reconquista 2:** _*looks pale*_ Number 4 didn't deserve that.  
**Reconquista 1:** .. but you checked the bookshelves, right?  
**Reconquista 2:** I'll get right on that. By the founder, what haven't they weaponized in this palace?  
**Potted plant in the corner:** _*snrk*_  
**Reconquista 1 & 2:** _*stop breathing and hold very still*_  
**Reconquista 2:** Did the potted plant just laugh?  
**Potted plant in the corner:** No. No it did not.  
**Reconquista 1:** _*faints*_  
**Reconquista 2:** _*wets self, surrenders*_

And thus did two highly trained Reconquista agents surrender to a potted plant..


	23. revanninja - The Dancing Cat

**Jaeger Saga: The Dancing Cat**  
**by _revanninja_**

**xxxxxxxxxx**

Few things in the world can compare to stepping out into the sun and hearing people cheer for you. As the Imp stepped from the shadows of the tunnel his eyes swept over the arena. It was a stone area simple and plain with more than enough space to fight in. Several feet from the floor a wall arose which then led to the seats of the stadium where several dozens of players could be seated. All and all it was a place that made no bones about what it was. A combat arena where Players could battle players.

His eyes traced to his opponent , a tall Cait Sith Player. She was garbed in lose Ninja like armor that was clearly meant for a female form but was not the typical sexy garb most RPGs used. It had Armor plates on the shoulders long sleeves that came down to her wrist. Her legs were garbed in a tight pants with flexible armor covering the thighs tucked into armored boots. All of it was in shades of grays, Blacks, and with some lining of red along seams.

But it was the presence of the Odachi and her brown hair pulled up in a simple practical ponytail that really told him who she was. Raziel the Death Cat.

Death Cat Raziel was a vicious PVP player known for cutting through whole tournaments. She wasn't a ganker always her duels and fights were official and agreed upon. She was said to have fought Eugene 5 times lost 4 and one win. The one win from his understanding was before he claimed Gram.

As the both moved to take their places and as he studied her he knew she would study him. The question would be how much could they gleam from that. He reached down and drew his sword the Silver blade glittering in the sun. Raziel also drew her sword. It was attached via a belt to her waist with a simple flick the sheath was unhooked from the belt and with a pull the long blade was laid bare for him to see. The sheath clattered to the ground as the counter began the numbers floating between them.

With a mounting tension he observed her stance the blade was raised and pointing from her shoulder, her right hand having dominance in the grip. With such a long blade he had an advantage in reading her moves since from start of the blade movement to its transfer into a real swing the length would alter the timing meaning he had a better window to seeing openings. But she wasn't a well known PVPer for nothing so he doubted it would be that simple.

The counter reached Zero and with a screech the battle began. She launched herself at him in a pure power thrust. It was a move that left oneself too open so he dodged instead of deflecting intending to come in on her back. Well that was the plan her tail reaching up and hooking him by the throat as she passed completely derailed that.

The move yanked him off balance and caused him to fall on to his back. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Raziel turn her hands low. Rolling to avoid the low coming blade he barely dodge the blade as its tip scrapped off the ground and sliced towards his face. As he tumbled he could see out of the corner of his eye the tip stream by almost mockingly in how close it came.

Recovering from his tumble he planted his feet and brought his blade up his left hand resting on the flat of the blade to accept the second move of the Combo a downward swing. Odachis were Long swords and their weight and length was best used in downward swings that were difficult to avoid but they had issue his block took advantage of.

Since the edge was against the flat of his smaller one hand sword he pushed forward letting her sword scrape across his blade. Since all Katanas were curved and his blade was straight it created a lever like build and since the weight was behind him the swords energy was not pressing on where their blades crossed. Suddenly inside her guard with her blade out of position He took full advantage of it.

A quick pop up of the blade forced Raziel's sword away from him creating room for him to swing his sword. Bringing it around and down from his shoulder to hip he sliced from his crouched position aiming for her legs. She stepped back still trying to recollect her blade only the scrapping of his blade against her thigh armor saving her from taking it full on. He transferred his Blade from his right hand into his left in a reverse grip and swung tracing a path back from his hip to just under his ribs. Again She stepped back her armor keeping her legs intact. As his blade came around he brought his right hand up to catch the pommel of the hilt in his palm and then pushed the blade into a thrust.

A solid hit as her step back did not bring her legs out of range of the longer thrust. He popped his wings forcing himself into a tumble to avoid the sword Raziel had regained control of and brought down where his back was. Coming out of the tumble his Sword back in his right hand, his left came out from under his short cloak clutching 2 throwing blades, which he promptly threw at her.

Throwing blades weren't powerful weapons instead often being used to poison or give some other like status effect. In this tournament such things were not allowed so they were untainted with status effecting powders. They did make handy distractions though.

As Raziel set herself and deflected the airborne missiles with an expert wiggle of her sword he chanted a quick spell. The spell Dark Fire was a common Darkness spell that did only a moderate amount of damage but weakened those afflicted with it making them more easier to hurt and able to deal out damage less. It was allowed in the rules but just barely.

Casting it he launched the Black Flames at Raziel which exploded in front of her trying to engulf her in the splash damage. Proving that she was indeed worthy of her reputation she jumped up, taking to the air to avoid the flames and their effects. He looked up and set himself to receive her blow.

What he was not prepared for was her to throw her sheath at him. In the tussle of the battle he had lost sight of it and somewhere along from deflecting the Daggers to now she must have retrieved it. It slammed into him knocking his stance open. Desperately trying to reset himself and handle the swiftly falling Raziel her Odachi's lethal blade bared and raised.

Both knew this exchange would most likely be it and it all came down to who can strike first.

As both Swords swung their edges keen and deadly a wall of white swept over them both and everything around them.


	24. revanninja - Captain of the Jaegers

**Jaeger Saga: Captain of the Jaegers**  
**by _revanninja_**

**xxxxxxxxxx **

As he walked down the hall inside the fort city of Tenbal The captain of the Fae squad Jaeger couldn't help but be impressed with the design of the building. Constructed for Heavy shelling and long term siege to protect what was once a vital trade route into the capital of Tristain, its design while Spartan would make many of modern day architects back home cry tears of joy from its construction.

Unfortunately this construction did have a major drawback one he walked into Papers first. Not looking up from the papers. "AcZan when you get a chance we need to go over your-..." As he talked he lowered the papers blocking his sight and before him was his 2nd in command entangled on the desk with the chief medical officer both caught clearly in the act.

"Sigh" Pinching his nose and coincidently his eyes the Captain counted to ten then spoke. " You two have 2 hours after that meet me in the mess hall with your reports, that is all." Hearing their sheepish answer back he turned out the door and closed it behind him.

As he walked Towards the mess hall he saw the Spriggian Novman a well-known officer of the Jaeger though not for reasons the Captain approved of chatting with a fellow soldier. "Nov here." Flipping him a small sack of coins he continued. "Tell masd he won the pool but Sev the place."

"Uhm, Sir I have no id-" Novman cut off in mid-sentence as the Captain spitted him with a glare. "Yes sir, I will see its done."

As he walked away the Captain could faintly hear. "Does that man know everything?"

**xxxxxxxxxx**

Walking through the hallways on the way to the stables the Captain talked with the chief animal trainer of Tenbal. "-As you can see, the dragons needs their wings checked on a regular basis especially near the bones they tend to get pest in there that eat the membrane." The trainer was saying. Rounding the Corner the two men came face to face with an odd sight.

A tall Gnome that in the Old world would have made any bodybuilder envious stood before them. But the Part that made the men stop and stare at each other was the attire of the poor gnome. Covered in an ill-fitting dress nearly bursting at the seams trying to contain his body. His face painted in garish paints and hue like a child playing with their parents make-up. The worse though was the Mop in place of hair pulled up and swept into a fancy hair style that was truly ridiculous to observe.

"Corporal Daik." The captain spoke his face showing only a hint of his thoughts near his lips.

"Sir?" Was the sheepish response from the poor Daik.

"What is the first rule of gambling in Jaeger?" Still the Captain's face moved not a wit. The trainer was not so lucky his face was an expression of shock and if the color was to be believed mortification.

"To Never under **any** circumstances bet with Lt Raziel, unless you have rigged the bet heavily in your favor, then still think twice." Was the response with the air of resigned rote to it.

"Yes, Because she cheats worse than the princess at cards. You may carry on." moving to the side he gestured Daik to continue. When Daik reached the corridor split he called out. "The Left one Corporal."

'Sir, Do I have to?" Asked Daik as he looked over his shoulder. As he saw his captain's face he sighed and turned towards the left. "yes sir." He said as he continued towards the mess hall where the rest of the unit was eating.

"**That**, That was pure evil." Was the trainer's response to the scene. His only answer was a slight smile on the captain's face as he moved to continue.

**xxxxxxxxxx**

"So I was like WOAH! You can fit that stone like that and anchor it there with that powder? And he was like yep all humble and simple. I about cried tears of joy at the sight!" Raziel a Cait Sith well known for her crazy personality and absolute love of all things construction.

The Captain his face blank as he worked filling out papers on his desk with a casual and unfortunately well used pace. 'Ah Paper work the bane of all men. One day I shall **Vanquish** you.' A smile cracked across his face. 'By dumping it on my Successor's lap poor smuck I will let it build for a week before turning over the keys.' His smile truly evil now he continued.

"Cap? Captain, Are you listening to me?" Raziel more than most fit her cat traits and would when annoyed bat at her focus of ire. In this case by placing her chest on top of her captain's head.

"Get Off! And yes I was you were talking about them using Grev mixture, which is frankly disgusting and I wished you never ever shared its details with me, to fix blocks at 90 degree angles." he summarized his annoyance clear as day.

Hopping back a smile wide across her face, her tail swinging with the pleasure of knowing she had her captain's attention she returned to her tirade. "So I was like if that stuff can hold for that long why not-"

And this another peaceful day passed for the Captain.

**xxxxxxxxxx**

"I am going to ask once. **What. _happened. Here_?**" The voice could start an ice age it was so wintery. The 3 Fae a Cait and 2 Sylphs shifted under the furious scrutiny of their captain.

Finally either the bravest of them or more likely the stupidest of them depending on your point of view spoke. "Well, uh you see, we kind of..."

"Yes, Private Canvo out with it." The recently demoted private flinched. This wasn't going to be pretty.

taking pity on the men the Cait spoke her voice thin and scared. " I am afraid of the dark sir. Canvo and Tous got me a Flame Snail since it glows and _Iamsorryididntmeanforthistoahppen_." She rushed out.

"So Let me get this straight. These 2 idiots trying to impress you, got a class H mob, brought into your barracks so it can act as a night light for you?" At their nods of assent he sighed a hand coming up to pinch his nose. "Do you two dunder heads realize Flame snails sleep in **fire pits**?"

Both men, boys really, shook their heads. " Cadet Rena, Your snail needs fire to rest in and will create them so it can sleep. Tomorrow purchase a kiln and make it into a kennel, as for you two...Repairs, All Of Them, will come out of your pay understood?"

As they nodded He turned back towards the flaming barracks where several undines were valiantly fighting the flames to little effect. His eyes traveled over the sleep wear covered Fae gawking at the blaze and the humans Gawking at the Fae. 'Paper work, why is it Always paper work in the end?'

**xxxxxxxxxx**

'So Cadet Weva, your scores are excellent but your abilities are more suited to a medical unit then a front line combat unit like Jaeger." The Captain leaned forward his hands coming up in front of his mouth as he observed the girl and girl she was no matter how she tried to wrap herself in the guise of a woman. She was pretty like all Fae were but her features were overshadowed by the finery she wore a high tiara and flashy clothes. All to his critical eye spoke of a Mid edging to High tier Gear. And it was all overstated. Too much for the 23 she tried to claim he guessed at 16 at most.

"Well sir, I want to be in the frontlines helping the wounded you need medics to keep you and yours alive long enough to get to those medical units." And if she wasn't right. Medics were in short supply in the frontline units especially ones so heavily trained in water magic like the Undine in front of him.

" Let us cut to the heart here I know you aren't as old as you claim too many tells. You have the right of it we need Medics and Badly. No Just listen To be a medic of Jaeger it means more than just healing people. It means you will have to make choices. You will have to in a sea of blood and parts look and make the choice who lives and who dies. In a Perfect world we can save everyone but it's not. Mana is limited and you never know when the next rush of bleeding bodies are going to come in so you need to marshal your strength and chose when to spend it and when to hoard it." His voice carried weight which the Undine girl could feel pressing in on her shoulders like a hand grip tight.

He continued. "Sometimes you will make the right choice, and others the wrong. You will never know until it's over which is right and which is wrong. You will have to live with all the could haves, and should haves and trust me when I say they will haunt you. " His eyes shifted tracing the Jaeger symbol placed above his door a Spear crossed with a single wing. "To be a medic in our work is to accept all that and to keep at it. I can't have you breaking down that will kill my men." His eyes moved down and pinned hers sharp and intense. " Can you do it?"

She opened her mouth, stopped, closed it, considered it, wet her lips, and finally she spoke. "Yes sir." Her eyes locked with his showed her thoughts. uncertainty she would be a fool not to be, more than a hint of fear which would do her some good, but shining through all that was conviction.

'Welcome to Jaeger Cadet Weva." He extended his hand in greeting to his fellow unit.

**xxxxxxxxxx**

"No! Stop it!" the shout carried down the hall.

"Shut it girly. You Fae so high and mighty but you are nothing! I am going to enjoy this." The man was a noble based on his clothes his face cruel and used to privilege. The Fae was a slip of a Salamander the robes marking her as a mage. The Time was late and she should have been in bed but she had stayed late studying her tomes and this brute of a 'noble' was going to make her pay the price for her tardiness.

Well that was the plan anyway. 'You are going to enjoy '_what_'?" The Voice was hard and sharp, it's very presences could cut it was so sharp. Turning the Noble Spied a short Imp moving towards them. Cloaked in the green short cape used as a uniform of the Jaeger the same cape he had torn from the girls shoulders while grabbing her.

"Go away if you know what's good for you. I am the Viscounts son and this is my business." Cruel and privileged was the only words to describe the voice and manners of the noble.

"I can't do that. You see that is my comrade there and I would be remiss if I let you continue." As he spoke a he bared a blade is edge sharp and silver so bright it made the hall lighter in its deadly radiance.

Realizing he was in more trouble than he can handle the noble ever a cowards pushed the salamander towards the Imp. "Fine she doesn't have any meat on her anyways wouldn't be much fun." A coward but an idiot.

In a blink of an eye the blade was sheathed and though its brilliance was covered still a hint of silver hung in the air a promise of violence yet lingering. Catching the girl the imp gave a soft smile. "Go on, find Raziel explain what happened, and make sure she gives you the Heneal tea don't let her hoard it. I have to deal with this...'_man_' after all he is the viscounts son wouldn't do to give him the respect he deserves." Looking from him to the Noble who preened under the recognition of his status the girl bit her lip and quickly fled the scene.

"Well glad to see some of you Fae understand how things work around here. Maybe you aren't Savages after all." The noble walked up his hand coming to land on the Imp's shoulder to emphasis his taller stature and to his mind power. He was a fool. In a blink of an eye the imp's right hand shot up grabbed the nobles wrist in a vice like squeeze and with a twist bringing him under the nobles arm his left hand placed itself on the nobles shoulder and Pushed.

The noble screamed in agony as his arm twisted itself around and to the back in the vice like grip of the Imp he felt like the arm was going to tear itself out of his shoulder. "Let me make it clear I don't care who you are."

A twist of the wrist forced the Noble into a lower position bringing forth another howl of agony. "You touch one of mine again and I will clip you, **Then** I will start hurting you." The Imp's voice was an angry growl pure violence dripping from every word. "I don't care if you think it's your right, if I hear about it from **Anyone** I will hunt you down and depending on **What** I hear I may or may not kill you but I will make you wish I had."

"Ugh, Argh! I am...the Vis...counts..Son Argh! You are dead you Hear me! **Dead**!" privileged, Cruel, and Foolish to the end.

A smile graced the Imp's face startling in that it was no smile but pure malevolent enjoyment. "You think your big, powerful daddy is going to protect you? After what you did to the Remali girls? No you are no longer under his protection, he has made it clear we are to deal with you as we see fit." Yanking him back so he could look him in the eye he continued. " I would kill you here and now for what you tried. But I know her, even as much a monster as you are she would feel bad for being the reason you died. And I won't **allow** that."

Pushing him away he turned moving down the hall his voice floated back towards the stunned noble like a viper rearing to strike. " My mercy is small do not test it. I would flee if I were you I may have mercy but Raziel won't."

Walking back towards the barracks that housed the Jaeger he knocked on one door. Before his second knock had finished the door was yanked open and the Imp was pulled inside.

Even with the violence of his entrance the Imp could see the Salamander girl asleep on the bed a Tea cup loosely held in her grasp, and draped over her was the uniform cloak. " Please tell me you hurt him bad!" Was the snarled response from the agitated Cait her brown hair almost standing up her rage was so strong.

He gave a small shake of his head. " No The Viscount has loosened the leash, but not let go. We can't kill him despite what I said to him. But we can scare the daylights out of him." Raziel puffed up her anger almost a visible wave of heat around her until a thought came to her. He watched a slow smile spreading across his face as she calmed, her face thoughtful.

"Sir? permission to go **terrorize**?" Her tail lashed the pure enjoyment of her ideas clear in her eyes.

"Granted, But he needs to live and keep all his limbs intact outside of that? Have fun." As quick as a flash Raziel was gone a maniacal laughter trailing in her wake.

Walking over to the sleeping girl The imp, Captain of Jaeger reached down and pulled up the cloak. Stroking her hair and gently taking the cup from her hands he set it down. 'Jaegers watch out for their own. Poor fool he has no chance.' As if to assure the Captain of his thoughts a Girlish scream came out followed by the unmistakable sounds of Raziel's laugh. Settling in to watch over the girl the Captain was content.

**xxxxxxxxxx**

"I am going to ask Once. Why did my researcher nearly ravish me and then precede to pass out?" The Captain was the picture of flustered. His clothes were rumpled and tucked in weird places. He had a hickey on his neck and his belt was clearly done up wrong. No one had dared say anything to him, after all Jaegers took stupid risks but they weren't **That** stupid.

Shifting Novman looked at Sev who glared back. The battle of wills over who fessed up was cut short by the tapping of the captain's shoe. They knew what that meant He was Pissed. 'Someone didn't get lucky.' was the snickered thought of both men.

Clearing his throat Sev spoke up. "Well sir, you know how we have strange urges every once in awhile?"

"Yes, like the one I am currently feeling that tells me to chop you into kibble get on with it Sev." Clearly the Captain's patience had run out.

Squeaking in pure terror Sev rushed out. "Well I thought you know Cait's are cat like maybe _theywouldlikecatnipsoIputitinwhiskeyand**OhGodPleaseDon'tKillMeIamTooPrettyToDie**_!" he wailed out under the Ire of his captain.

Pausing as Sev's words cleared in his mind."Wait did you say Cat-nip whiskey?" At their Nods He sighed. 'out of all the! Why me?' Pausing his mind jumping from thought to thought and Defiantly not thinking of Raziel offering herself on his desk with only a few pieces of paper preserving her modesty he came to a decision. "How much did Raz drink?"

"Uh well only a 1/3 of a cup sir, she was in on it from the start and wanted the first sip so we used a mess cup." Novman said clear confusion on his face. " I mean I watched her drink Yorki under the table so I thought one bit of a cup of un-aged whiskey shouldn't be too much for her. I mean it hasn't even gone in a barrel to age yet. Its strong sure but that amount shouldn't be **That** strong."

"How did you mix the Cat-nip in?" The Captain asked his face still closed.

Novman looked to Sev their recent Brewer once a Sake maker he had started to dabble in beers and the like to see what he could do. "Well when the whiskey is heated to separate it from the Mash we stuck the Cat-nip in before I wasn't sure if it work but I thought it would boil in with the whiskey and give it a kick." Sev said his voice more calmer as he talked his craft.

"Right, This is a national secret as of right now I want a few barrels mixed but otherwise don't breathe a word of this to anyone, Understood?" At their Nods he continued. "Now I need a small sample flask not too much but something I can send via post."

A few hours later, regretfully cleaning the mess of his paperwork Raz had made, he sat down to write a letter.

_Dear Alicia Rue,_

_It has recently come into my possession of a drink which I feel you would like. Included is a small sample of unrefined product more is being made and matured properly. As I am sure you can guess for the better product I do have a few requests namely Silver Dragons. I am sure you are perfectly aware of their value but I am also aware of the value of the sample I have given you. I fully believe a mutually beneficial relationship may be established with many perks down the road for both of us._

_Yours in Faith_

_Captain of Jaeger_

_T-_

"Oh What is in Now? Yes?" Looking up from his letter He called out. To his surprise it was Raziel looking sheepish.

Motioning her to come in he waited. "umm Sir? I would like to say I am totally Not Sorry I nearly had my wicked way with you in the office." Straightening up Raziel continued. " I plan to ravish you at a later date though my head is killing me. That is all I wanted to say."

Giving her a low smile he spoke. " I will warn you Raziel any sign of building or mortar talks and I will boot you out of bed we clear?" Her answering smile was all the answer he needed.


	25. revanninja - A Gift For Mort

**Jaeger Saga: A Gift For Mort  
by _revanninja_**

**xxxxxxxxxx**

**Captain:** Hmmmmm.  
**Raziel:** What?  
**Captain:** Alicia just sent me a letter apparently Sakuya finally got tired of waiting.  
**Raziel:** She did, did she? Where and when?  
**Captain:** Conference room and midday yesterday.  
**Raziel:** We should do something for them you know its such a nice occasion after all.  
**Captain:** My thoughts exactly. I am thinking 'Tasteful'.  
**Raziel:** ohh I have an IOU from Eric the earth mage that does the rampart repairs? He hasn't learned not to bet me yet so he owes me a lot.  
**Captain:** Perfect you go get him I will round up the rest.

**xxxxxxxxxx **

_Outside Mortimer's home._

**Mort:** I am going to kill them...Slowly.  
**Eugene:** Its 'tasteful' at least and accurate.  
**Mort:** What was that? Send you to the ice caps sure!  
**Eugene:** now now Brother they just wanted to show their appreciation and dedication for you and your love life.  
**Mort:** Don't Care the Jaegers are dead.

A beautiful statue of Lady Sakuya her face set in pure Marble her fan raised and point her very presence commanding.  
And Clutching to her leg was Mortimer an expression of wonder and amazement stamped on his face.  
A Plaque on the bottom laid its message bare.

_**"In honor of the most beautiful and gracious Sakuya claiming her consort on this year of XXXX we of the Jaeger squad present this statue so all may remember and recall the truth and passion of their relationship for many years to come."**_

**xxxxxxxxxx**

_A short distance away:_

**Raziel:** Think hes going to kill us?  
**Captain:** Of course half the fun.  
**sev:** When do you think he will go into his room?  
**Novman:** I would give it a bit, by the way raziel? Where did you get those pictures?  
**Raziel:** We kitties need to keep together so I know a person.  
**Captain:** He's going inside Jaegers lets move out before he locks down the city.

**Mort:** JAEGERS!


	26. revanninja - Fairy Dance

**Jaeger Saga: Fairy Dance**  
**by _revanninja_**

**xxxxxxxxxx**

_Outside the plains of Kanon:_

The Albion general couldn't help but have a sneer of disgust on his face as he observed the Fae camp through a lens spell. They weren't equipped with any golems, cannons, or even a turtle. 'If this is the breath of their force we should mop them up inside an hour' he couldn't help but think.

The forces arrayed against him were made up of mostly warriors a few obvious Mages in those ridiculous clothes the Fae so enjoyed. The real insult though was the band being set up in the back as if it was important.

"Sir they have their own band surely this isn't a 'real' force but a token meant to slow us down. It's basically a parade force!" His subordinate said his face full of pride.

"Agreed. Open a communication spell I want to offer them terms, who knows maybe these stupid Fae will see the superiority of the Albion forces and bow down like good little sub-humans they are." The general stated with a wide smile of pride.

The Lens changed shaped and thickness losing some of its clarity but the sounds of the Fae came through. "I am the General of the Albion 5th ground Force army I would like to speak to the leader of this army"

The Fae looked up no surprise or alarm just casual interest in the goings on. A slim Fae stepped forth looking no more than a boy entering manhood. "I am the Leader of the Fae Jaeger. What are your terms general?" His voice was firm but with a distinct lack of interest and almost boredom in it.

"I offer you the chance to lay down your weapons, swear on the Albion flag, and you may freely become Albion citizens, second class of course." The General waited he knew this was the best terms these savages would ever get and they would be fools to turn it away when so badly outmatched.

The Fae leader smiled. It was cold and sharp and made the general itch for a sword. "Funny. Your terms are ludicrous and unsuited for someone in such poor straights. I return your demands but reject your caveat of citizenship we have no need of such bigotry in Tristain."

"You FOOL! How dare you spurn my offer with such ignorance. Fine then set to the field and dance with your band I will leave this field so bloody it will grow flowers of red!"

The general spat his face enraged.

Strangely the Fae was not bothered by this instead his smile if possible had grown even colder and sharper. "So you wish us to dance then? We shall dance but I warn you here and now you won't like it. Good day ser." With that he turned away and began to motion to his men to begin to be ready.

As the Lens closed the general could see the band begin to gather and take up their instruments. "Fool. Ready the men we shall show them."

**xxxxxxxxxx**

Within the hour the battle was ready both sides began to move. As the General watched he couldn't help but feel humor the Fae had grouped themselves in pairs and as the band started to play had truly begun to dance moving in time with the music. The Music was strange it had a feeling to it he couldn't describe outside of that it made him nervous for some reason. Shaking off his thoughts the General stepped up his bodyguards arrayed around him.

"Begin" He simply stated and his men ran off to start the battle. The Cannons opened fire their loud Booms racking the land. The general expected to see a sea of destroyed Fae he had thoughts of forcing that Fae leader to heel as a trophy when presented to Lord Cromwell.

But the Cannons for all their power could never hope to hit what was not there. Almost as if the Fae knew what was happening they took to the air still dancing and as the shells landed where they were it was just a simple thing to them for all its destructive power.

Despite that the Albion force was no stranger to firing at airborne targets and their aim switched with the precision drilled into them. But again the Fae were simply not there. As the Shots came in the Dance became even more grandiose with Dips and swirls letting them evade rounds.

As the General watched a Pair of Fae spun in a complex circle before parting at speed from each other and taking their place was a Cannon round. 'What? How is this Poss…..The DANCE! They are using the turns to move in the air!'

The general could see it now the 'Dance' was all movement shifting and twisting making lining up a shot difficult and then breaking apart with grace as a round came close. The twirls gave them momentum which they used to evade rounds and spells.

And to the horror of the general the first of the Fae reached the front lines and showed it wasn't just for evading. A Female Fae and a Male were twirling above the line when the Male let go of his partner letting her twirl into the air. Quick as a top she spun down and into the men a flash of silver all around her. Blood and Limbs flew through the air the same as if a cannon had hit them. As she came to a stop among his men the general couldn't help but think she was going to die from his men's return strike.

A Large Dark skinned Fae came spinning over the top of the men and the Woman reached up and was grabbed by the Large Fae. As he turned he launched her into the air with a casual ease. And he continued on his spin mowing his men down with a wicked war hammer till he too came to a stop. But unlike the woman he just dashed towards a golem jump and struck it with his hammer then pushed off into the sky flattening the golem into so much rubble.

'This can't be happening we are the Almighty Albion Army we have Lord Cromwell behind us and these stupid savages are beating us no slaughtering us!' The General thought in shock already his well trained army was panicking and starting to fall apart as these Fae carved bloody gouges into them. They were hurting them back but for every Fae hit 10 Albion were. This Farce was easy for any to see. Albion would lose.

As if to reinforce his thought a shriek of pain came from his left. Turning him and his bodyguards could see a bloody path of death carved to their very footstep. And Walking away from the turtle dying, as if walking in a park instead of a battlefield, was the Fae Leader casual disinterest still stamped on his face.

"YOU! How dare you!" The general sputtered he was at a loss for the words to convey his anger, pain, and humiliation. His bodyguards arrayed themselves around him their swords and pikes aiming towards the approaching Fae.

His head tilted to the side he spoke. "I did offer you terms and I did warn you that you wouldn't like our dance." He moved closer completely ignoring the weapons aimed his way.

"A dance is not this!" The General raged. "What are you? How can you do this?"

"We are Fae and you asked us to Dance." The Fae leader was Calm in the face of the general's rage not a lick of worry present. "Now then let us end this yes? Don't Move."

Realizing what was happening the closest bodyguard rushed for the Fae his blade aiming for his heart. The Fae brought up his sword and deflected it from his chest as easily as handling a babe. He spun using the Sword against the Spear as a pivot point. Suddenly the Guard jerked and a blood coat silver blade erupted out of his side. Realizing what had happened the general couldn't help but be impressed at the speed. The Fae while spinning had transferred his blade into a reverse grip in his left hand and thrust it through his guard's side passing though armor and flesh as easily as if it was not there.

Yanking the blade out the Fae quickly returned it to normal position and hand before launching himself into a powerful thrust, wings glowing, at the next Guard piercing through Armor, Ribs, and Heart before exiting out his back again as if it was not there. As the Guard toppled the Fae used his falling body as a spring board up into the air spinning into a tight ball with a lethal edge of silver cutting the air.

The third guardsman trying to take advantage of his brother's fall to kill the Fae could only stop and gawk in terror as the Fae can down like an avalanche. His Blade smote him though Crown to groin. And before the pieces of the man can fall the Fae was on the move again.

His blade whipped across above the ground before slanting up and taking his final Guard through the midsection starting on his left hip and exiting below his right ribs.

And In a span of a few seconds the Fae had just killed 4 elite bodyguards as if they were nothing. What was worse was the fact there was no blood on him at all. He had come through all that as fresh as when he started. Realizing he was alone with this monster in flesh the general took a step back meaning to run.

But it was too late the Fae turned his blade and body his wings igniting and intent clear in his eyes. 'Fas-'Was the last thought of the general.

**xxxxxxxxxx**

The Fae Leader came to a stop just past the pieces of the Albion General. Turning he looked over the battlefield. 'Funny, how tactics against Raid bosses, also work so well against armies. Poor Fools they should have realized something was wrong when we didn't have cannons.'

He shifted his blade and felt a tacky sensation on his fingers. Looking down his hand was covered in blood. "Tch. I told him not to move." Taking a cleaning rag he began to clean the mess off his fingers while moving back towards the field after all there was still more to be done.


	27. Xexilf - Aki's Journey

_[Bishop-chan's notes: A look into the possible future of a lost soul...]_

**Aki's Journey**  
**by _Xexilf_**

**xxxxxxxxxx**

You are awake. You can feel the light. You were dead, and now you live again, by the holy power of the founder, wielded by his chosen prophet, Cromwell.

You clearly see the world, Cromwell is absolute and right, and you will follow his orders, whatever they may be, because as the founders chosen, he knows what to , Aki, will serve the holy cause.

Now, something might seem a bit strange about yourself right now, but you can very well remember everything that happend until now, if your memories seem a bit distant at times, thats surely only because you were so foolish back then. Thinking seems a bit hard at times, but that hardly matters, with the founders light there to guide you. Everything is great, you´ve overcome your previous weaknesses by that holy power, and are now working finally not only for the right side, but for a holy cause.

Meeting your friends again was a bit of a confusing experience. Why cant they see that they are wrong? Its so clear... And they forced you to fight them, that was sad, you suppose. Still, when that foolish royalist mage puts a hole trough your chest its only proven again, you are a vessel of holy power, and cannot die.

Caramella calls you brainwashed... how silly can you get? You aren't brainwashed, you see the light... if anything everyone else is brainwashed, why cant they see that Cromwell is right? Its so simple...

Then she tricks you, and there is fire and darkness.

That hurt a bit... no matter, trough the holy power of the founder you cannot die. Your arms and part of one leg are missing, but with Arguille's help, you have found them soon enough. You wonder... if you hadn't found them, would they have come back by themselves? Would they have grown back?... not really important now, Dunwell is talking...

Dunwell-sama and Wells-sama are nice. They are trying to help you all they can, And together following the holy purpose of Cromwell you will help the world. Wells seems to act a bit strange around you at times...

Is he worried that you are angry that he hurt you? But how could you? Without that, you may have never seen the light. You try to act friendly and put him at ease, he's really a nice person.

Some things about the world are a still a bit confusing, oh well, you're trying your best to adapt, and finally come to understand some things. You still seem slightly detached from your old memories at times, but it isn't really important, you see the light.

Sometimes you still start to wonder though... was thinking always so hard? Oh well, your getting better at that too...

Newcastle. Finally, the royalists will be driven from Albion, for the glory of Cromwell... Tristain's fleet carried a lot of fairies, that intrigues you... You wonder how many of them you can bring to the light of the founder. But first, Dunwell has a special mission for you... and with your wings, you will be like an angel.

Or not? What did Dunwell mean?

Caramella kept saying your not Aki. Calling you a thing. How can she! Ok you were fighting, but is it so hard to see she is on the wrong side? All your trying is to show them the truth, and save her from her sinful live. And even if your on opposite sides, theres no need to say something like that. Before you can free her, there's a loud bang, and you find yourself splattered once more.

While you heal, not easy, but not beyond you, you have a mission, you watch as they burn the others... That's horrible, a second chance by the grace of the founder, and they are destroying it. And they captured Mizuki...

After the battle, you keep doing your best for the cause. Wells still seems nervous at times, so you are trying things to put him at ease. Your having some ideas there... Still, you cant keep your mind from wandering back to Caramella and your other friends... was there really the need to say things like that?

Calling you a thing? Calling you not Aki? How could you not be Aki? You decide to ask Wells about that...

Wells said you were Aki. Its fine. You are Aki. You have to be...

Cromwell and Wells and Dunwell are fighting... How can this be? You are all united under the Founders holy light, this cannot be really happening... you know Cromwell is holy and right, but Wells and Dunwell are nice and always trying to help... this has to be a misunderstanding... you should try to break it up...

Cromwell did something with the holy ring... PAIN...mind fading... ...NO, holding on, don't want to die again... something is wrong with your body, its like the holy power is leaking away... but you've survived so far, you came trough stuff that put even the other chosen down, you will not fall here... Can't stay... run away, into the forest...sort things out later

You are saved... Elfgirl used her ring... And now...

Gone...the light is gone... hurts to think... you have to think... what's going on...

Your friends... you were hurting them... if its gone, if the way you see now... no, you need certainty, thinking is hard... but you have to... if its gone, if it wasn't holy... they said you were mind controlled... and looking at it now, not certain, but so much clearer...then... what have you done? You were hurting them... fighting for Cromwell... Cromwell, who's not holy.

Cromwell, who's murdering innocents, starting wars... and mind control... and you were helping him...

Bastard! You are going to find some way to get back at him. Make him suffer...

And then, or maybe better even before, you are going to find your friends and tell them how sorry you are... maybe you could have resisted somehow, you feel so guilty... hope they can forgive you some day.

You can forgive them for calling you a thing in that state, you suppose. But saying your not Aki was a bit out of line... just that ever since Skiesedge, you were controlled. Cromwell probably used your weakened state after you got hit trough the heart with... hit... trough... the... heart... and new life... they say your not Aki... your memories from before are different, distant... Elfgirl says magic cant bring back the dead, just create abominations from corpses... and you died at Skiesedge...Aki died... that means...NOOO...

It can't be true... you are Aki! You have to be Aki! If you're not Aki... No, have to be Aki, can't not be Aki...can't .. wont... this... sniff... sob... cry...

You calmed down... Elfgirl...Tiffania...is nice. She stayed with you, and was trying to help you...

You are not Aki. They were right...Abomination...

You're looking in a mirror now. Aki looks back... What are you? Stolen face... stolen memories... a thing, created from the death of an innocent. And you caused so much suffering...you killed, you helped Cromwell with his war... and your... no, never yours. Aki...the other Aki's friends... you hurt them so much...are you a monster? Should you just end it?

It would be easy enough... no more pain...no more doubt... one abomination less in the world...

But... you still want revenge... and your... no, Aki's friends... you still want to say how sorry you are... could they ever forgive you? Could they ever accept you? You, who stole the face and mind of their friend? You who killed them, tried to have them turned into more abominations? You may have been controlled, but you still feel responsible... What would they say to you? But if you die here, you will never know...and you will have no hope at all, of ever being forgiven, or making up for what you did.

Elfgirl say she knows how it is to be not wanted. Says you can still do good, as long as you don't give up, even if the world hates you. Those children she's caring for, they are happier trough her help... even if the rest of the world thinks her existence unholy...

No. You will go on. The world seems big and uncertain now, and thinking for yourself is scary... but you will manage somehow. You will help the others, you will hurt Cromwell... **and you will become something the other Aki could have been proud of!  
**  
Now, what should you do first? ...


	28. zero0hero - Trials of Midori

_[Bishop-chan's notes: Yes, you're not seeing things. This particular anthology will also feature works by the author of Halkegenia Online himself, zero0hero aka Triggerhappy. We'll start off with my ~most favorite cheating bastard~ *cough* getting what she... I mean HE deserves. ]._

**Trials of Midori**  
**by _zero0hero_**

**xxxxxxxxxx**

Kirito groaned softly as he finally managed to make his way to the locker room, discarding the satchel containing his spare clothes and the canvas bag containing Split Moon. Thus ended another day of trying to hammer some Survival Instincts into the cashew sized brains of a class room full of Noble sons.

The only one who had really seemed to be listening had been Guiche, the rest had been too busy drooling over their instructor. He'd almost been able to feel their eyes roaming all over him and had half a mind to dispel this fake female body right in front of them Morale considerations be damned. With any luck, the resultant Dissonance would give Malicorn a heart attack.

Then again, if the running hadn't managed to do him in just yet, nothing would. Kirito took another breath, how did Asuna deal with all of these perverts? And with that in mind . . .

Looking around cautiously to ensure the coast was clear, Kirito began to quickly undress. There wasn't really anyplace within the hastily constructed barracks that could be called private. He even had to share his temporary quarters with a particularly overweight gunnery officer teaching the specifics of the new cannons to the recruits. Thus, Kirito had waited until after dark to be sure the trainees and all of the other instructors had finished so that he'd have the bath, and more importantly, the locker room, to himself.

Jacket and black shirt fell to the ground, followed by pants until he stood in nothing but socks and his underwear. He shuddered, female underwear. This was of course the tricky part, and he was never sure which way to go about it. Discard the bra and panties first or dispel the illusion?

'Midori' wasn't so much smaller than Kirito that the elastic, or whatever the Halkegenian's used in its place, wouldn't stretch. But he didn't think he'd be able to live down the humiliation if someone ever managed to walk in in the brief seconds between changing back and fully undressing. If that happened . . . He shook his head. On the other hand, the alternative risked seeing this false body completely naked . . . again. He had no desire to relive that strange and pseudo-narcissistic experience.

'Just keep your eyes closed.' Kirito decided, just keep them closed and be grateful that 'Midori' was more athletically proportioned than Asuna or Sugu. The bra straps proved a problem and he had to use the mirror to get at them, but once that was done, he could do the rest without looking. 'There, now just dispel the illusion and . . .'

With his vision completely taken up by darkness, he was able to hear something soft and muted that made his heart shake. Splashing, the gently induced slapping of water, and beyond that, murmuring. Kirito paled, had someone forgotten to put up the marker to show the bath was occupied?

There were only two baths in the camp, one for the officers and noble recruits, and another, larger facility for the commoner soldiers. The few women on base didn't warrant a third bath, so a set of panels had been placed outside of the bath house to denote if it was occupied and by which gender. Grabbing for his discarded shirt, he gave a silent prayer that whoever had forgotten had meant to put up the blue marker and not the pink one. There were seventeen times as many men as there were women at the training camp. It had to be the blue one. It had to be the blue one!

"Oh, Miss Midori!" A sweetly accented voice wafted across the locker room. He thought it carried a hint of Gallian, probably from the southern regions and was very definitely female. Of course it had been pink . . .

"O-oh!" Kirito turned, eyes still tightly closed he tried to smile, but the heat rushing to his cheeks made it impossible to tell if he really was. He was feeling very light headed at that moment, and rather wished he could just die. "Uhm, I'm sorry, I seem to be . . . intruding . . . Miss . . . ?" He was pretty sure he would know the person if he opened his eyes, but he really didn't want to open his eyes.

"Sergeant Lydia." The owner of the voice introduced herself. "I'm one of the instructors from the musket squadron. Remember? We met last week." The voice turned concerned. "Miss Midori? Is something wrong?"

"Ah." Kirito cracked his eyes open, raising a hand in attempt to blind anything below neck level. He was only partly successful as he was met by a full on view of a sonsie, brown haired young Tristanian woman clad in nothing but a towel. "I'm just surprised there would be anyone in here." He said, struggling to keep his pulse and breathing level. He squirmed, holding his shirt a little closer to his chest. Ten seconds later and this would have just been embarrassing, instead, it verged on disaster. This was bad, very bad, but it was still salvageable if he made his retreat now. "I-I'll just grab my things and go . . ."

A hand closed around his wrist, and it was at that moment that Kirito knew he was doomed. "Nonsense!" The woman, barely more than a girl, laughed. "It's already late and you have the morning PT groups, don't you? You must be getting up earlier than everyone but the Captain. Come on!"

"N-no! I couldn't intrude!" Kirito stuttered. What to do. Wings? He'd give away his cover. He was more than strong enough to simply hold his ground, but this body probably weighed less than sixty kilograms, and the slick tile floor offered almost no place to dig in his heels.

"Come on." Lydia cheered. "I'm sure the rest of the squad won't mind sharing."

'The rest!' But he didn't have time to say anything else as the door was slid open and he was pushed into the warmly lit interior of the baths.

Public bath houses weren't a new invention in Halkegenia. In fact, he had learned, they'd been common even in medieval Europe back on Earth, quite contrary to popular belief. Only falling out of favor after the onset of the Black Death. So it hadn't been much of a surprise to discover that their Tristanian allies valued the idea of bathing and good personal hygiene enough to construct bathing facilities for the instructors and trainees.

However, the specific style of Japanese bath houses had been a new innovation, and one that the petty nobility and well to do commoners were rapidly adopting as part of a Hygiene Craze that had begun to develop with the dissemination of pamphlets explaining the rudiments of pathology and germ theory.

The clean, tiled floor, the brass drainage grates, the rows of washing stations, even the large, pseudo European landscape mural over the bath that had been donated by a pair of bored, artistically inclined officers, would have immediately summoned popular images of public bath houses from a bygone era of Japanese life.

Kirito didn't notice any of that. He was too busy trying very hard not to notice anything, especially the dozen, very healthy, very disrobed young women who currently occupied the room. All of them were members of the Royal Firearms Squadron, the elite commoner guards that supplemented Queen Henrietta's Griffin Knights. They had, to the last, been selected from the Families of Loyal Retainers, trained rigorously, and placed at her Majesty's disposal.

Able to follow their Queen anyplace that was necessary under any circumstances. And despite outward appearances, they were all uniformly deadly. He'd just been tossed into a lioness' den with only a disguise to keep him safe. He swallowed, averting his eyes as he was handed a wash pale and small bottle of soap by Lydia and made to sit down and wash off.

"Do you need any help Miss Midori?" Lydia frowned, finally noticing the furious blush that was beginning to sear Kirito's skin. She placed a hand gently against his forehead, and then her own. "You seem a little hot. Are you running a fever? You should probably use cold water."

She adjusted the faucet, humming to herself. "Indoor faucets and preheated water." The Musketeer Sergeant shook her head. "All of these Faerie inventions are really amazing aren't they? It seems like they have ideas to make every part of life easier."

"U-un . . Y-yes." Kirito nodded and then cringed as the first pail full of lukewarm water spilled over his head. Despite the heat on his face, he felt himself starting to shiver as he snatched an offered bar of soap and started to scrub until it hurt.

The Tristanian's certainly seemed to have a more boisterous bathing culture than Kirito was used to. Back in Arrun, the public baths had been a welcome expedient and a place to loosen up and relax after a hard day. Thus, the atmosphere had usually been more restrained. There'd been plenty of times when he and Klein had just soaked and traded anecdotes about the day. But here, the women around him acted almost as loud as the men they were training, laughing, shouting, and cursing at each other as they handed one another bars of soap and some sort of alchemic product that was proving a good stand in for conditioner.

"Oh Lydia, did you see Sam's squad today?" One of the girls sitting beside Kirito looked over, grinning mischievously in a way that showed crooked but white teeth.

"Samantha? No, what happened?" Lydia's voice turned dark. "I'm not going to have to knock some sense into some scrawny necked noble, am I?"

"Oh Founder no!" The girl laughed. "Well, you know how the Captain put her in charge of retraining that lot from Fort Le Belgrad?"

"That lot? Oh, don't tell me . . ."

"No, no, it's nothing like that." The girl raised her hands. "Seems they've gotten a little familiar with the fairer sex, you know the way the Fae have lots of women in their forces?"

"I think I see where this is going." Lydia groaned. "Oh, just a minute." She turned her attention back to Kirito. "Miss Midori, I can get your back if you like."

"N-no . . . th-that's fine!" Kirito stuttered, partially from embarrassment and partially from the tooth chattering cold. "J-just hand me the loofah."

"Let me guess, someone tried to grab her ass and she had to break his hand?" Lydia asked.

"Close, but no." The girl answered. "They got them to the range, and a couple of the musketeers got all prissy they were going to have to relearn their trade from a 'Gel' half their age. So . . ."

"So?" Lydia pressed.

"So Sam offers'm a wager to see who could hit a target further out with the new rifles. So she has this one huge Sergeant, maybe twelve stone, looks like he fought in the Gallian Incursion, he takes the bait and walks right up to take the loaded rifle, spots the two hundred mail target, and puts the round right into its chest. Then, he turns around and tells her he 'knows all'bout rifles from learning to shoot with his Da' up in the mountains'."

"The two hundred mail target . . ." Lydia breathed.

Two hundred mails, Kirito tried to focus on the conversation to distract himself. He'd read all of the notes a dozen times by now during the PT marches, the rifles used a new bullet called a 'minie' ball that was conical like a 'modern' bullet and mashed itself into the rifling of the barrel when fired. With the spin that was imparted, the bullet remained stable to a much great distance.

"He didn't read the manual." Kirito was horrified to realize he'd spoken without thinking about it.

"Probably couldn't." Lydia sighed. "Old Sergeant from the mountains like that, chances are that nobody ever taught him how. So, let me guess, he puffed up his chest about hitting the target and then Sam put him to shame."

"Ah! You already know how the story ends!" The gossiping girl laughed. "So, she takes her own rifle, explains the whole loading procedure, right down to the new percussion caps, and then puts a bullet right between the eyes of the five hundred mail target. They thought she missed at first because they didn't even notice the targets that far out. They . . ." She started laughing harder " . . . They didn't even believe it at first, the look on their faces . . . it was . . . was . . . Bwahahaha!"

"I'll bet!" Lydia shared in her comrade's laughter and then suddenly clamped hands down on Kirito's bare shoulders. The sudden contact caused him to cringe. "What are you doing?!"

"Washing my hair?" Kirito whispered as he held a small pool of shampoo in one slender hand. The faster he finished, the faster this nightmare could be over.

"Oh sweety!" Lydia shook her head. "That's much too rough! We might use that like the men when we're in a hurry, but we've got some luxuries here on base. You have such beautiful hair, you should take better care of it."

"Really . . . It's alright, I just . . ." Kirito tried to say as a second bottle was pushed into his hands.

"And what is this?! It looks like you just chopped it off when you cut it! Look at these split ends!" Lydia clucked disapprovingly. "That'll never do!"

"She's right." The girl opposite Kirito leaned in. "You must be Miss Midori. I'm Corporal Olivia. I've heard a lot of good things about you from the Captain and Miss Caramella. Though, I never thought you'd be such a cutey."

"No, I'm not really." Kirito felt himself flushing again. When would this end?! He felt something cold spreading slowly across his scalp and then the disturbingly pleasant sensation of fingers running through his hair. "See, do it like this. If you don't condition thoroughly, it'll dry out a perfect mess!"

"Is that the stuff you grabbed in the Capital?" Another musketeer asked. "Amir was out last time I was at his shop."

"Ha! I got the last bottle." Lydia preened. "Better luck next time girls! Now, hold still Miss Midori, I'm going to rinse it out now." At least this time the water was warm.

Lydia repeated the process twice more. "Really such beautiful hair." She murmured to herself. "You don't know how lucky you are." Kirito didn't miss the way she brushed her own shortly cropped hair to his a scar along her scalp.

"I wouldn't say that." Olivia chimed in. "It probably gets her all sorts of the wrong type of attention."

"Olivia!" Lydia gave her fellow musketeer a disdainful look. "I'm sure Miss Midori can see to herself. You were there when that Traitor Wardes showed his true colors, weren't you? And I heard you breached the Newcastle Siege all by yourself!"

Kirito smiled weakly. "S-something like that."

"Ah! I didn't mean it like that." Olivia protested looking sympathetic. "I just mean, you look too nice to put them down for good is all."

Kirito was about to answer when he stopped and instead let out a soft hiss. Strictly speaking, it was true. He'd figured out how to do it with girls . . . mostly . . . but something about guys just took subtlety off the table. Or maybe this form just caused their INT stat to crash.

Strangest of all had been his one Partial Success. Guiche declaring his undying, Brotherly Devotion, and taking a pledge to protect 'her' Chastity on behalf of 'her' 'husband' had been a bewildering moment almost too surreal to believe. "No . . . That sounds about right."

The talking died down a little, Olivia leaned closer. "You know, if it's a problem, you can always ask the Captain for help. She seems to know the trick to keeping'm in line."

"I prefer the old hair bun personally." Lydia draped a towel over Kirito's head and began to dry his hair. When was the last time someone had done this for him? Not since he and Sugu had been little. "I guess it makes those Noble brats think of their Little Old Nannies. That pretty much kills any interest right away. Bonus that they're pretty much conditioned to listen from all those years off getting their heads knocked around for misbehaving." She looked thoughtful. "Except that Malichorn kid. There's something not right with that one . . ."

"He's been staring at my ass for the entire week." Kirito mumbled. He'd run the idiot into the ground, literally, and somehow he'd retained the strength to stare, even while barely conscious. It would be disturbing if it wasn't so pathetic.

"We could always _kick_ his ass if you like." Olivia suggested. "I think that's Miss Caramella's solution when that comes up, isn't it?"

"Or the Captain's solution." Lydia shivered. "Make him stand watch for forty eight consecutive hours in his underwear with a flintlock musket at the ready."

"That only happened once because of the matchlock incident!" Olivia protested, shivering in sympathy with her friend. "All that gunpowder . . . who could be that stupid issuing matchlocks!"

"Well, it was just a thought." Lydia sighed as she finished drying and pulling Kirito's hair up into a bundle. "And now, it's time for a soak."

Kirito saw his chance and tried to take it. "Like you said, I have to be up early for drills tomorrow, and then sword practice, I think I'll . . ."

"Don't worry so much." The Musketeer teased. "Honestly, you're as uptight as the Captain. Relax a little or you're going to have wrinkles before you're out of your twenties."

Surrounded by the members of the Firearm's squad, Kirito could only pray that his Camouflage would hold up for a little while longer. He just had to sit quietly for a few minutes, let them start to unwind and he could excuse himself.

But the world was unfair sometimes and as they reached the bath, he felt the blood draining from his face. Seated in the bath, Agnes, Chevalier de Milan, met his gaze, and Kirito suddenly found himself reassessing his escape options. Using his wings was looking better all the time. At least the bath was too damp for gunpowder to work, she'd have to come at him with a sword . . .

Agnes's face went blank as she processed his presence. Then her lips thinned. A look of anger flashed through the Chevalier's eyes. She began to rise from the bath when a hand grabbed hold of her shoulder and pushed her back down. Seated beside her, a by now very familiar Faerie gave a small shake of the head and whispered something in her ear.

Agnes tilted her head, gave Caramella a suspicious look as if questioning the veracity of what had been said. Caramella nodded once, a grinning spread across her face.

Coming to a decision, Agnes looked back at him. "Miss . . . Midori . . . "

"I didn't mean to intrude!" Kirito said quickly. "It just . . . happened. Someone forgot to put up the marker."

Lydia winced. "Oh, right, that was what I was remembering to do when I ran into you. Excuse me . . ." The Sergeant made for the door as Corporal Olivia nudged him to step down into the gently steaming water.

The heat burned at first, but soon it began to seep its way into his skin and joints. At any other time it would have been easy to relax, now, it just made him anxious rather than on edge as he sat with eyes averted, biding his time until he could leave.

"Fancy seeing you here." Caramella whispered with a devious little smirk. "Don't worry, I'll talk Agnes down about this, and I won't let it get back to Asuna-chan."

"I owe you . . ." Kirito whispered back. Almost as soon as the words left his lips, he wished he hadn't said anything as Caramella's smile widened.

"Don't worry about that either. You're about to pay me back." Then, with the most evil expression Kirito had ever seen on her face, Caramella raised her voice. "Oy, Olivia-chan. You still have that cute black outfit you were going to send back to your kid sister right?"

"The one made with Khali'd Cotton?" Olvia looked surprised. "Yeah, what about it?"

"Oh, I was just thinking. You seem to have good tastes. And I've never seen Midori-chan here wearing anything but those pants and jacket. There's a market day coming up. What'd you say we get her in touch with her feminine side?"

Kirito slowly sank into the water, maybe, maybe he could just drown himself right here. With the way Agnes shook her head, he almost missed her close eyed smile.


	29. zero0hero - On the Other Side

_[Bishop-chan's notes: Now a look at those people who were left behind...]_

**On the Other Side**  
**by _zero0hero_**

**xxxxxxxxxx**

"I'm only at this counseling session because my husband insisted I come." Kyouko said disinterestedly.

"Oh?" Midori asked.

"His company is testing some new mental health computer system."

"You mean the MHCP-002?" Midori brightened up, she'd read an article about it a few weeks ago. It was supposed to be a marvel of AI engineering. The government was already touting it as the solution to Japan's still rising instances of suicide and social seclusion. RECTO had even recently announced their plans to develop a mobile device that patients could carry with them to interact with the AI and receive ongoing psychiatric care.

"I couldn't say." Kyouko replied. "Everyone at the company and their families were all tested. Obviously the machine isn't properly calibrated yet." The woman looked completely convinced of this fact and Midori had a feeling she knew exactly the sort of woman that Yuuki Kyouko was.

"Oh, I see." Was all that Midori said in reply. "Well, you should try to make the best of it then."

"It's taking me away from my work, so I can hardly see any up side." The woman replied, hand coming up to rub at her temple tiredly. "Yes . . . my work . . . Its very important."

"Migraines?"

"For the last couple of months." Kyouko admitted.

'Since the disappearances' Midori thought, it had been the same for her.

Sleeping in an empty house just wasn't something she could do. It had gotten a little easier recently, now that some time had passed. Her husband had taken leave from work, they'd generously given him a whole month off, that had helped a lot, she only needed the pills she been prescribed a couple of nights a week. But looking at Kyouko, she didn't think the woman had been that lucky.

Sighing inwardly, she checked her watch. High technology was all well and good but sometimes the only thing on hand was a human. "The sessions almost over for the night. Have you eaten yet?"

"Excuse met?" Kyouko asked.

"Well, you said this was pretty far from your home, but I work in this area, I know a few places if you want to go get dinner or maybe just some tea. And besides, I'd like to talk to you about . . . Well all of this." Midori gestured to the doorway to the meeting room where the others were waiting for the session to reconvene. "It's up to you, but if you like, I wouldn't mind listening, or not, its up to you."

Kyouko starred at her with a look of disbelief. She rubbed at her eyes tiredly, leaning against the railing in front of the window."Thank you. I think . . . I think I would like that."


	30. zero0hero - Love?

_[Bishop-chan: And now a look at a possible future. Does this count as a spoiler? I wonder...]_

** Love? **  
**by _zero0hero_**

**xxxxxxxxxx**

Kirigaya Yui was roused from her book by a slight tapping at her window. Two fast taps, then a pause, then two more. She tilted her head, smiling faintly. It was an old and Familiar code to her. Setting her book on the nightstand, she rose from her bed, straightening her nightwear, a shot sleeved, buttoned shirt that fell to mid thigh in front while almos reaching her knees in back, perfect to keep cool hot summer nights.

She moved carefully, staying light on the balls of her feet as she picked her way across her room. She had the entire floor of her room memorized by now, every Loosely Fitted Plank and Squeaky Board, but it wouldn't do if she got caught because she'd barked her shin against something in the dark.

The tapping came at the window again and Yui opened the glass panel a bit further, peering out into the darkness of the garden and smelling the Sweetness of the spring air. The tapping had stopped, there was nobody in sight. She closed her eyes and leaned out a bit further, counting milliseconds patiently, she didn't have to wait long before she felt slim, work calloused hands covering her eyes gently.

"Surprise." He said softly.

"You're back early, Bardiche-kun." Yui said affectionately, only opening her eyes after the hands were removed, she came face to face with emerald eyes beneath wind messed blonde hair.

Three months hadn't seemed like such a long time when he'd set out. But Yui had found herself Ancticipating his return almost as soon as he'd left. He was one of her Best Friends after all.

The Sylph boy, now almost a young man, smiled as he seated himself on the eave beside her window, steadying himself carefully with one hand.

"Only a little." He admitted before lamenting. "I just got in a while ago, we had to lodge our report with the Trade Union. Those Romalian's sure are tough customers."

"You should tell me all about it." Yui took a seat at the windowsill and patted for him to settle at her side. She could tell that he was tired, and maybe even a little Home Sick. It could be tough being away from familiar surroundings for so long.

Bardiche hesitated before taking the offered place, heartbeat spiking slightly. It Amused her, he was always so shy, especially these last two years as he'd started to notice the way she had begun to change. She leaned against him gently and enjoyed the way he squirmed, Turn Round at last for all of his teasing when they'd been younger.

Yui observed her Childhood Friend closely. Only, he wasn't a child anymore. Both maturity and his Sylph Racial Traits had begun to sharpen his features. Bardiche was well on his way to being a Handsome young man, something that had been occurring to her more and more often over the last two years.

She examined the thought, dissected it, poked and prodded at what it implied. She didn't find the idea Unpleasant at all, in fact it was usually accompanied by a warm Giddiness and a Squirming sensation that made her want to curl her toes.

Bardiche wasn't the only one who had changed, and who continued to change. Reaching up, Yui pulled the collar of her nightshirt closed. She'd grown these past five years as well.

It hadn't been easy either. Learning to cope with her physical existence had come in phases. Just as Yui had become comfortable in her own skin, she'd hit her first growth spurt with all of the clumsiness that came with it, and then the beginning of Menarche. That had led to its own complications, especially as her Primary Binary Cluster continued to expand and optimize, forming a bridge between the Nebulous seat of her consciousness and the portion of her mind that had slowly arisen inside of her skull.

Mind stewing in a wash of hormones, Yui had found herself constantly frustrated by the need to adjust her Decision Making Hierarchy to compensate for the constant minor changes in perception and Value Judgment of what she had begun to think of as her Heuristic Co-Processor. And then there had been the complete loss of Objectivity when she thought about boys in anything but the most abstract of fashions.

Having Mama and Aunt Suguha to ask for advice and voice her concerns to, and Balandene to stagger with together through the Awkward Years, were blessings that she would forever be thankful for.

At last, Bardiche pulled away, fishing through the satchel at his side. "Here, I brought you something back." He held up a small, surprisingly heavy leather pouch that upon inspection contained a lovely brass and enamel box and small key. Yui examined the intricate device, expanded senses probing into the gearing and cam assembly within. It wasn't hard for her to fathom its inner workings, in fact, she'd read a book all about them.

Lifting the music box from its case, she took the key and carefully wound the box until she felt the first hint of resistance. Setting the box down, she opened the lid and was rewarded with a small, chiming melody.

"It's lovely, Bardiche-kun." Yui said.

He smiled sheepishly. "Really, it was either this or a Romalian Cross, and I thought you'd appreciate this more."

"Un." She nodded.

Yui placed the small music box down beside her taking the key and winding until she felt the first hint of resistance. She opened the lid and watched as a porcelain ballerina began to spin slowly, accompanied by a soft, sweet melody.

Yui closed her eyes, listening for a time as the music mingled with the Chirping of insects. "Claire de Lune." She said at last.

"Excuse me?" Bardiche looked down.

"The music has a ninety percent commonality with Claud Debussy's third movement of the Suite of Bergamasque, Claire de Lune." Yui explained casually, and then tilted her head as she noted the way Bardiche was staring at her. "What is it?"

"I'm just amazed you know that." He said, wide eyed.

Yui giggled slightly. "It's not really that amazing. Bishop-chan lets me borrow as many books as I want from the Library, and I don't forget things." Really, that was how she learned almost everything.

At her own request, Mama and Papa had enrolled her in school to learn with the other children, but in the end, she got more out of the opportunity to socialize with her Peers then she did from learning by rote from a textbook. Logic and mathematics were her first languages, and history and geography were just trivial memorization. It had gotten to the point that most of her teachers simply gave her the assignment list and expected her to be present for exams.

This suited her just fine. She'd much rather spend her School Time practicing her swordsmanship with her Aunt Suguha or Thinking On Her Feet with Papa or Klein Ojisan. a

She paused, watching Bardiche anxiously, even resorting to her expanded senses. Bardiche had known her for a long time now. He'd known about her origins for almost, but not quite as long. But if the reminder about what she was even phased him, he didn't show it. In that regard, Bardiche was just like Mama and Papa. She felt strangely Vindicated by this confirmation.

Bardiche shook his head. "I guess that makes sense. Though, isn't it a hastle to remember everything perfectly."

Yui opened her mouth to reply, and then paused. "Not everything." She admitted. Which was to say that though the fidelity of her memory was perfect, there were still certain Precious Moments that she could not fully internalize, no doubt a result of the duality between the organic and digital parts of her architecture. "There's some things I just have to relive."

"Oh?" Bardiche looked genuinely interested now. "Like what?"

Yui bit her lip and then, cautiously, wrapped her arms around his waist, and buried her head in his stomach. "Like this." It had been almost . . . no . . . It had been as bad as when her Papa or Mama were gone. "I missed you." She whispered.

Bardiche's posture slowly loosened, placing his hands on her head. "It was only eleven weeks."

"And that's too long!" Yui half pouted. In fact, it was exactly three times as long as it had taken her to begin wasting run time simulating likely scenarios of what Bardiche and the rest of the Trade Union delegation were doing. She'd even done research on the subject of Romalian Commerce.

Leaning back a little, the Sylph youth gently freed himself from her embrace. "Jeez, Yui-chan." He teased gently. "I though Balandene was supposed to be the wet blanket. I . . ." He stopped.

Yui didn't know why he was staring into her eyes. Why was she staring into his? They grew closer. She was happy, relieved, at peace. Closer and closer. She'd fretted entirely too much about him even as she'd kept herself busy. Closer still.

It wasn't the first time Bardiche had kissed her. Nor was it the first time they'd kissed on the lips. Once, a long time before, Yui had been reading a book lent to her by Emily Obasan/ She'd been curious about all of the Kissing, specifically the way it was supposed to invoke Romantic Feelings, and had prodded at Bardiche until he agreed to try it with her. The results had been mixed, Interesting, but hardly anything that she'd felt the need to try again.

This was completely different. It was clumsy and awkward, not perfect at all, definitely not like it had been described in all of Emily's books. But when they parted, Yui didn't think she'd mind doing it again.

"Yui, I . . ." Bardiche began to stutter, turning red. Odd, why did her cheeks feel so warm? She wasn't embarrassed. Simple and unambiguous. This was something you did with someone you loved, wasn't it?

And at that thought, Yui froze up. Someone she loved? Yes, she loved Bardiche. He was her friend. Her best friend. He meant the World to her. She loved him and Balandene just like she loved Mama, Papa, and Aunt Sugu.

Yui shook her head. No that wasn't right. This feeling wasn't the same. She was sure she'd Loved Bardiche, just like she loved the rest of her family. So why did he slip through her grasp now? She felt her heart pounding in her chest, the warmth spreading from her face to her arms and shoulders.

If there was one thing that Yui disliked, it was uncertainty, confusion, disorder. Ambiguity was the enemy of everything that she was. She'd known her understanding of love was tenuous at times, but she'd always held fast in the belief that the impossible to optimize Sensation she experienced when she was with her Mother and Father was exactly that. But now, how could she be certain? Was this new sensation also Love? Had she been mistaken?

Everything was undermined, everything seemed to be falling apart. Like a half completed puzzle dashed across the floor.

"Yui,? Are you okay, Yui?"

Yui nodded slowly as she hugged herself, even though it was a lie. She was wracked with a shivering sensation that was beyond her control. "I think you should go, Bardiche-kun." She whispered so softly that she could barely even hear herself.

"What? But . . . "

"Please." She begged, she didn't want to look him in the eye. She couldn't Predict what she would do if she did, and that Frightened her more than anything.

Bardiche raised his hand tendely to his own lips and then, hesitantly, he nodded. "I-I understand . . . I'll see you later, won't I."

Yui nodded slowly, she didn't actually know if it was true, but the alternative didn't bear thinking about.

Giving her an uncertain nod, the Sylph slipped free from the windowsill, wings humming softly to life as he took lightly to the night sky. Yui didn't move until he left her sight. Only then did she sink down onto the floor, pulling her knees under her chin, and start to cry softly in confusion. The music box, its spring exhausted, wound down into silence . . .

Why did she feel this way?


	31. zero0hero - Sayuri's Cunning Plan

**Sayuri's Cunning Plan**  
**by _zero0hero_**

**xxxxxxxxxx**

Standing at the front of the chamber, hands on hips, Sayuri glared imperiously at her subordinates. At last she had managed to, at least partially, reassert control from that simpleton girl, though her body remained tragically diminished.

Damn those beings and what they had done to her!

"As experience has shown us." Sayuri squeaked, struggling and failing to achieve the low calm menacing tone that she had once wielded so easily. "We cannot defeat the beings in terms of raw military power." Yes, this had been made abundantly clear during the Tarbes Campaign. "Instead, we must seek to turn the beings power against them from within."

Sayuri pointed to the note pad that she had propped against the wall. The Knights wouldn't let Shion even have so much as a toothpick, much less a needle sword. Apparently they thought the unnaturally immature Little Sister might hurt herself with such things! So Sayuri had to make due with a stiff blade of grass.

"To achieve this, we will infiltrate their society and ingratiate ourselves with their leadership." Sayuri struck the notepad with her grass blade pointer. "To this end we will issue our agents with suitable camouflage. We have learned that the beings utilize members of the non magic sub variety to perform menial cleaning and food preparation tasks. These workers frequently go unnoticed by their leaders, making them ideally placed to overhear vital intelligence and intercept communications."

Stupid beings! If they didn't even look after their Little Sisters better they deserved to be fooled by something like this!

Flipping the notepad's page, Sayuri pointed to a surprisingly well drawn illustration. Being the only sharp things that she was allowed, Sayuri had grown depressingly good with using quills to paint and draw and wasp stinger needles to sew.

"The basic camouflage consists of a uniform like so, with an extended ankle length skirt and apron. Long stockings and polished black footwear also appear to be expected. The hair piece appears to be optional, but highly desirable in the servants of the higher ranking leaders. There are of course variations on this uniform, but given our resemblance to being females, this is the most appropriate."

Sayuri had already completed the prototype in her spare time which now hung at the front of the room on display.

"Obviously, Vespid Knights are completely unsuited to this sort of menial work. The Task will therefore have to fall to our bravest Little Sisters." Naturally that did not include a Knight like Sayuri, of course not!

She let out a sigh of frustration. It was almost too much! She was a Knight, a strong and beautiful elder sister of the Garden! To be reduced to this state was almost unbearable. Ironically, it was because of her condition that she received so many special privileges, but it wasn't because the others respected her or admired her ability. It was . . . pity. They pitied their damaged Little Sister.

And who knew what they might do if they found out that on occasion, their sweet Little Sister Shion would remember who she really was and rage against them all. Of course, Shion, sweet little Shion with her disgustingly unreserved love for everyone and everything, would always end up back in control when next she fell asleep. Sayuri would . . . forget herself as she dreamed, until something reminded her and the cycle started all over again. She tried leaving reminders where Shion would be sure to find them. In that way, Sayuri had gained some partial control.

"We will introduce ourselves as has been done by the Pixies around the Fae Capital as Pixies struck with wonderlust and seeking employment in the greater world. Given the extensive use of Pixies at the Being Magic Academy and the Faerie Library, this should make an acceptable cover. Our agents will then work diligently to reach the highest ranks of the servant class where they might be permitted to work in areas containing sensitive information. From there we can pursue a policy of altering the flow of this information to achieve our own agenda. Thus turning the being's own strength against themselves!"

Hah! And that foolish Count had thought teaching her to read was such a good idea. She been given free run of his library and read all about the being arts of politics and warfare. That foolish, idealistic, handsome, strikingly brave . . . Sayuri shook her head furiously as Shion's impressions of the count took hold. It seemed Shion had already been corrupting her from the inside when the Count had pulled her from the waters around the Yggdrasil shoot. He had left a . . . strong . . . impression on the Little Sister's mind, only strengthened by their first real meeting in the burned garden.

"Are there any questions?" She turned to her audience to be confronted by completed silence. Glittering pale blue eyes swept the room.

A half dozen pairs of glossy black eyes starred back. One of Sayuri's dolls, her first sewing attempt and quite . . . crude . . . at that, fell from its chair.

"Shion!" Hinagiku called from the other room and the former Knight Leader stood stock straight. "Shion I brought some seed cakes. Do you want one? Where are you?"

"I'm in the other room! Don't come in yet." Sayuri shouted. "I . . . I need a minute!" She hurried to close up the notepad and push it back into its corner. This was the special room that Shion had all to herself since spending time with the other Little Sisters tired her so quickly

"Shion?" Hinagiku called. "Did you wet the bed again?"

Sayuri turned beat read. "No I did not!" She shouted back, the underdeveloped muscles of her wing stems causing her wings to shake in time with her arms.

How could Hinagiku say something like that?! It had just been sweat! She thought furiously, she just sweat a lot. That was all!


	32. aightaight2 - The Greatest Secret Agent

**The Greatest Secret Agent**  
**by _aightaight2_**

**xxxxxxxxxx**

At the edge of the Champ de Mars Training facility stood a cluster of old, rundown warehouses. In their heyday forty years ago they had been a hive of activity, the designated supply center for the entire trainee cohort. When a new Logistics Depot had been built on the other side of the campus, an attempt had been made to wring some further use out of them by converting them into a secondary ammunition dump.

It hadn't worked.

Tristain had neither the need nor the desire to hoard large stockpiles of gunpowder, and the robust, strongly warded storage basements had remained empty for more than two decades. They had eventually fallen into complete disuse after a sergeant had discovered a group of recruits using the free space to house their illicit still. In the last few years, the Halkegenians had rarely given the decrepit old storage site a second glance.

On this day, however, one particular basement was no longer empty. Secure behind the wards, a group of Faeries were plotting the downfall of one of their colleagues.

"Come on, Klein – quit stalling. I know you've got the spell memorized," came the instruction from his temporary sensei.

"But… but why me? Why do I have to do it?"

"You agreed, Klein. Someone has to do it, and of the three of us, you have the lowest stats."

"Can't Silica do it?" he asked, petulantly. "If someone's gotta be the «Tiny and Cuddly» type, she'd be the best choice."

"She's never been a victim of the Rat, so you're it. It won't do you any good to pout about it now."

"I'm not pouting!" protested Klein. "Samurai don't pout - they glower. Or they scowl, but they never pout! Not riding American cars not pouting was the last will of my grandfather!"

"You mean your grandfather who gave me handmade dried persimmons after we escaped from SAO? They were delicious too. I wonder if Asuna could make some like that…?" the black swordsman added, clearly distracted by the thought of his wife's delicious cooking.

"It's easy for you! You're the «Giant and Solid» type, just like the Floor 74 boss! How'm I supposed to get into the action if I'm less than a foot tall?"

The burly gnome placed a heavy hand on the red-head's shoulder, momentarily stopping his grousing.

"Klein, you know as well as I do that the small fluffy bosses were by far the most difficult to defeat in SAO. You've got the right stats, and the Headmaster has provided us with the means. You _know_ how hard it is to fool the Rat, and we've already done the ground work. We've invested a lot in this, and you _gave your word_. It's too late to back out now."

The Salamander looked defiantly into the eyes of the Gnome and Spriggan for a second longer, before sighing in defeat. "Fine. You'd better keep things straight though – we've only got one shot at this, and if either of you laugh, I'll be coming after you instead."

Taking a deep breath, Klein targeted the small white Familiar in front of him, before starting the incantation for the unfamiliar illusion magic.

**xxxxxxxxxx**

_The problem with working for politicians,_ thought Argo, _is that when they're not around, they need someone else to fill in for them._

Sakuya and Alicia were stuck in a meeting with Thinker and Rute, and they had called on their Agents to fill in for them. Thus the eclectic group of Fae clustered in Old Osmond's Office.

The Headmaster was in fine form, holding forth on the Theory he had come up with after doing some 'research' in Arrun's Central Library.

"Cardinal Mazarin and your Lords have all agreed that it is important to capitalize on every opportunity to build up our intelligence gathering capabilities, and I have something of an interest in the area. It's a little known fact that the world's greatest secret detectives are those of the rodent variety. I see from your Pixie that you understand this well, young Argo," Old Osmond said in stentorian tones, glancing directly at the tiny face peeking out over the top of the Cait Syth's pocket.

"Sa! Suisen's only blossomed recently, you know!" she replied protectively. She gently prodded the top of the pixie's head until the tips of Suisen's ears were hidden once more. Since her partner's blossoming Argo had noticed her tendency to rise until her ears were peeking out, even if she kept the rest of her head down.

"The Headmaster's right, I think," said Kirito, turning at an angle to keep his fellow SAO-vivor in the corner of his vision. "We need to maximize our counterintelligence operations to prevent Reconquista from having free rein in Tristain. If Argo hadn't known about the benefits of the rodent link, she would never have called herself 'Argo the Rat' in SAO," he added, winking at Argo to show that he was just humoring the Headmaster.

Pointing at his Familiar, a small white mouse, Old Osmond continued.

"I've had Chuchu at my side for over forty years. He's one Halkegenia's best reconnaissance mice, but even he didn't learn the Trade all on his own. I've learned a lot from your own literature, Argo – James Bond, Batman… even Basil of Baker Street. A detective can be self-taught, but to become a top notch Agent you need the right sort of training from an experienced operative."

"James Bond isn't a rodent – and neither is Batman, Cha!"

"Have you ever seen a bat?" asked Old Osmond, not losing a single step, "everyone knows that they're simply rodents with wings. And as for James Bond… well, if he was a mouse, maybe he wouldn't have been captured by his enemies so often!"

"So, what is it that you are proposing?" Argo asked in resignation.

"As I said, I believe that it would be best if we start looking into the possibility of training some more agents. Pixies… mice… perhaps others. One of Chuchu's trainers is in town at the moment - Kirito can show you the way. Perhaps after you speak with him, you might have some more ideas for the Combined Allied-Tristain Special Intelligence Bureau. Let me know what you come up with, and I might be able to help you out even more."

Pulling out his pipe, it was clear that the meeting had come to an end.

Argo bowed politely to the Headmaster before leading Kirito out the door, shaking her head in exasperation as soon as the door was closed behind her.

**xxxxxxxxxx**

"So, tis it?" Argo asked, focused on the vacant looking buildings before her. The Champ de Mars complex was recognizable at a glance, but she'd never really considered the structures before. They were in plain sight… but easily overlooked. Perhaps Old Osmond had more nous than she'd initially thought.

"Yes. The bunkers are all at least five mails deep, warded to protect the gunpowder that was supposed to be stored there. They've been empty for years. With a little help from the Earth Mages and Gnomes it'll be easy to link them all up."

They had made good time from the Academy of Magic, albeit with a short delay while Kirito stopped by the palace to pick up lunch. At least he had shared Aa-chan's sandwiches with her. She had relished his mournful look as she slowly chewed each bite in front of him. He'd scoffed down his own share so fast that he had nothing to do but watch as she finished her own meal. Delicious!

_Aahhh. Baiting Ki-bou… it never gets old._

"Well, tis time to get this over with, Ki-bou."

Pushing open the warehouse door, she gazed around the dim interior, the boarded windows letting in just enough light for her sharp Cait Syth eyes to pick out the details. The wooden floor was surprisingly bereft of dust. As she padded across it, it chirped softly like a nightingale. She stood still, letting Suisen dart out of her pocket to silently scout the lay of the land. If anyone her size tried to enter unannounced, the noise alone would alert the guards.

"This way," said Kirito, leading them down the stairs to the vault-like door below.

"Nee-chan," whispered Suisen, returning once more to her shoulder, after pressing her ear up against the hatch "I can't hear anything through that door."

"That's right," chuckled Kirito. "They even warded the room against vibrations. It's completely soundproof. Don't be surprised by who's inside - the Headmaster's met a lot of interesting characters during his journeys over the years," he warned.

With a strong push, he slid the door open.

Argo stared.

She'd seen some strange things in SAO… and in Halkegenia… but this took the cake.

Surrounded by a series of lanterns was a white mouse. A large white mouse. A large white mouse dressed in a white suit with a red belt and a black eye-patch over one eye. It wasn't standing like a mouse, either, or even like a regular person. Instead, it was bouncing up and down on its index finger, causing an oddly hypnotic effect.

"Wh..wh..what?" exclaimed the Cait Syth.

Opening its single yellow eye, the mouse pushed off its finger, doing a double somersault before coming to its feet.

"Ah. Kirito-san. You're back," it said in fluent Japanese with a British Accent. "This is your friend, Argo?"

"W… wait a minute – you can talk?"

"Of course I can talk." Turning to the Black-clad Spriggian, the mouse continued. "Are you sure this one has has right stuff to be the Head of Intelligence, Kirito-san? She seems to stutter a lot."

"But… but you're a mouse!" the Cait Syth interrupted.

"Quite right, my dear," he confirmed, patting her on the knee in lieu of her hand. "Well spotted. Not only am I a mouse, I speak 34 languages fluently, including some extra-terrestrial ones – native Halkegenian among them."

"Umm…" Argo seemed lost for words at this rejoinder, her brain forced temporarily off line.

"This is 'DM', Argo," interrupted Kirito before she could reboot her mind. "He's a specialist in 7th level Yoga-Hopping, and he's also one of the greatest secret agents who ever lived. Even his code name has a code name," the Spriggan claimed, causing Argo's mien to go even blanker.

"Umm, Argo?" asked Suisen, standing on tiptoes to stroke Argo's ear in an attempt to comfort her. "I can hear at least one more person here. And… it sounds like they're… sniggering?"

At this, the Black Swordsman couldn't hold it in any more. He fell to the floor chortling as Agil stumbled forward from the shadows, also struggling to hold in his guffaws.

As she watched, the mouse shimmered before turning into a red-haired Salamander, eyes sparkling as he masterfully failed to mask his own hilarity.

"Ha hahahahaha… the look on your face!" he proclaimed, giving up on hiding his mirth at the successful sting.

That was enough to break her out of her paralyzed thoughts.

As the three Fae scampered out the warehouse door, Klein uncapped a Puca music bottle and tossed it towards her.

"Enjoy!"

_The strains of the old cartoon's opening theme began to play._

_He's the greatest; he's fan~tas~tic; wherever there is danger he'll be there_

"Klein…."

_He's the ace; he's a~maz~ing_

"You Wretched RODENT!" she yelled after the retreating miscreants.


	33. aightaight2 - My Neighbor Tonkii (1)

_[Bishop-chan's notes - Damn Space Ninjas. *ehem* That line was in no way related to this next story series...]_

**My Neighbor Tonkii - The Mystery of the 27 Lettuces**  
**by _aightaight2_**

**xxxxxxxxxx**

Arrun. A city of fantasy. Sourced in illusion; created from the stuff of dreams. Now made manifest as a new reality.

It was, thought Silica, as if the White Rabbit had opened his pocket watch; recognized that the stroke of midnight was nigh; then swept the entirety of Alfheim down his rabbit hole just as the clock struck twelve.

_At least that would explain the white flash we all experienced. And the pain, no doubt, was from hitting the floor at the bottom!_

She giggled at the thought, tilting her head and accidentally dislodging Pina from her perch.

A disgruntled "Kya!" came from the feathery dragon, stretching her wings out wide as she regained her balance.

"Sorry, Pina."

She started to raise her hand to stroke her Familiar in apology, before softly aborting the motion.

"I was thinking about the book Yui-chan recommended me."

"Which one is that?" came the dulcet tones of the Navigation Pixie sitting on her other shoulder.

"You know – Alice in Wonderland?"

"You've been to «_Arrun Central Library_ » already? We've only been back for a little over a day."

"Of course I did. I have to find a good book so I can return the favor to Tabitha-chan, you know?"

Upon their return from Tarbes, they had parted ways with their new friends. Louise, Tabitha and Kirche had returned to the Academy of Magic, while Koko and Klein remained in Tristania, helping with the preparations for the upcoming Operation Dunkirk.

Leafa and Yui had returned together to Arrun. Silica, eager to be of use, had come with them.

In each hand she carried a cloth sack filled to the brim with lettuces. This was her second trip today with a similar load; a chore that she had hesitantly accepted in response to Leafa's sincere request. Leafa herself had remained at «_The Central Markets_ », claiming that she needed to buy more fresh fish as well.

"You know, Yui-chan, we could have done this in one trip if you'd been in your human form."

"Hmm?"

"You decided to be lazy, didn't you?"

"N..n..no!" Yui squeaked in response, toppling from her shoulder in dismay.

"I'm just not used to going outside like that! I don't want to remind people of what they've lost!"

Silica reflected on this for a moment, staring at the Pixie who was now hovering in front of her wringing her hands in embarrassment.

It was true that there were no Fae youngsters, but a few human children, dependants of visiting Tristainians, could now be seen on the streets of Arrun.

Slowly, so as not to disturb Pina, she turned her head to the side, gazing at the pixie askance. In response to Yui's overreaction, she decided it was worth quirking an eyebrow as well.

"I was just joking, you know. If I could change into a Pixie, I know _I_ wouldn't be lugging around these bags. I'd be flitting about the roof-top gardens, trying to find a nice shady spot to lie down."

She sighed, then started quietly humming to herself as Yui floated back to her shoulder.

_As I was going to Sylvain,_  
_I met a man with seven wives_  
_Every wife had seven sacks_  
_Every sack had seven… lettuces._

She broke off the tune, exasperated.

"What does Leafa need all these lettuces and fish for, anyway?"

Directed at the ether, she didn't expect an answer to her rhetorical question.

"It's a secret… but they're for a friend," Yui whispered in her ear.

"What sort of a friend eats 27 lettuces… and fish?" Silica challenged.

Yui turned and locked eyes with her, a grin on her face. Her response came as deadpan as you please.

"A herbivorous one."

**xxxxxxxxxx**

Retracing their steps from an hour before, Silica and Yui arrived at their destination once more.

The narrow alley did not show up on any map of Arrun's back streets that Silica had ever seen, and Yui had admitted that morning that it was not listed in her «_Local Navigation Database_ » either.

The entrance was partially obscured by a bulging offshoot of the World Tree's roots. Skirting it carefully, she began to negotiate the narrow path while Yui flew ahead. Twisting left then right, up stairs and down, the crooked passageway eventually reached a small, private, two story house.

Unlike the elegant townhouses lining the main street, this house had clearly seen better days. All the windows were shuttered, and the small front porch even appeared dusty.

Opening the front door, Pina flicked her feathers before giving out a small sneeze. Silica, with her heightened Cait Syth senses, could also make out the staid smell of air that had been left too long without proper circulation.

Dumping her sacks on the kitchen bench beside the other lettuces, she decided that some housekeeping would be in order sometime soon. After carting around those sacks, however… maybe she would leave the unpacking for later.

"I'm going exploring, Yui-chan. Do you want to come too?"

"Of course!"

Bright light limned the pixie's body before she disappeared within a shroud of sparkles. A moment later Yui emerged in her default form, a cute nine-year old girl with features reminiscent of both Kirito and Asuna. No one who saw the three together would ever doubt that they were family.

"Let's start on the second floor then."

Climbing the wooden stairs they quickly found a series of four small bedrooms, each sparsely furnished with a bare bed and a cupboard. As they checked each room Silica made sure to open all the shutters and windows, bringing light and fresh air to the dingy interiors.

In the last bedroom, located at the rear of the house, the opened shutters revealed a small, pocket sized private garden below.

"Pretty," Yui exhaled, watching a few turquoise butterflies dance between the violet flowers.

Encircled by walls on all three sides, the backyard garden was a small slice of verdant paradise.

"I think I'll take your earlier suggestion to heart."

Turning back to her smaller form, Yui flittered out the window, gliding down to a small shrub which would serve admirably as a nice shady spot to rest. Pina soon followed, curling herself protectively around the pixie, leaving Silica alone for the first time that day.

Leaning out the window, her sharp gaze picked up three entrances to the garden, each partially hidden by the garden's foliage. Directly below, a small rectangular back door lead directly to the kitchen, while a small gate located in the left side wall gave access to the twisty alley behind. The largest entrance was an unremarkable looking round wooden door placed in the back wall, reminiscent of the front door to a hobbit hole.

_I'll have to investigate that later,_ she thought.

As she pulled her head back into the house, a flicker movement caught the edge of her vision.

Turning, her eyes were drawn to the light streaming through the window, a few reflected rays just beginning to edge beneath the bed. Kneeling down to gain a better view, her breath caught.

There, in a neat little cluster beneath the bed, stood a family of susuwatari. Known as "soot sprites", the small black obloids huddled away from the light.

To the left of the bed, she could just make out another one, gingerly bobbing along beside the wainscoting in an effort to join its brethren.

Her tail stiffened as her Cait Syth senses sharpened with the scent of the hunt. The isolated "black soot" was clear in her vision, and with a pounce her hands cupped around it.

With a small *poof* the soot sprite dissipated.

Motes of dust sparkled briefly in the air where her hands had surrounded it just moments ago.

Lying on the floor, her hands noticeably empty, Silica's laughter started to burble up.

_I think this house is no longer fit for them – no doubt they'll drift away on the evening breeze to find another empty house to inhabit._

**xxxxxxxxxx**

Sitting in the bedroom overlooking the private garden behind the house, Silica crossed her arms and placed her fist below her chin in a thinking pose as she contemplated the mysteries that the day had brought.

It didn't help; her thoughts remained all a-twirl.

**xxxxxxxxxx**

After Leafa had returned from the «_Market_ » they had settled in to wash and clean the fish.

"What do you need all the lettuces for, Leafa?"

"Oh, it's just for an experiment that Kirito-nii thought up."

"Yui said they were for a friend."

"Really? I suppose you could say that. Have you written that letter to Tabitha yet?"

Her further sallies, including an offer help haul the vegetables to their next destination, were met with similar deflections.

Once they were done Silica collected Pina from the back yard before setting off to meet with Maya, a friendly Puca bard whom she had met at the «_Library_ ». Maya had been busy sorting sheet music, but had taken a break to help her find the section on classic western literature.

Before they parted, Maya had learned that Silica had enjoyed playing music in SAO. She asked whether Silica currently owned an instrument, and was sympathetic when the Cait Syth girl explained that it hadn't made the transition to Halkegenia. Maya then admitted to owning a music store in the lower streets of Central Arrun, and had offered to help out.

**xxxxxxxxxx**

Silica soon arrived at the shop, which was just as Maya had described. The awning was colored a bright Puca blue, with musical notes embroidered around the fringe. A wooden plaque hanging above the door professed the store to be "Maya's Musical Menagerie." Unlike other menageries, Maya had joked, her little beasties were unlikely to fly away of their own accord – they were much more likely to make listeners fly into raptures.

Together they spent the afternoon searching for the perfect instrument to give voice to the «_Music Skill_ » that Silica had spent so much time leveling in SAO.

Lutes, violins, keyboards and horns were all tested before she decided that she wanted something small enough to carry in her pouch.

Playing the pan pipe caused Pina to start flying around the room in a series of rapid spirals, as if dancing to a jig, while the recorder caused her feathery friend to send out a series of shrill caterwauls in answering tones.

Her attempt on the harmonica was better left unspoken. Suffice to say that anyone looking out on the lower streets of Arrun that afternoon would have been most entertained at the sight of a young Cait Syth girl chasing after a small blue dragon, while a Puca storekeeper stood below shouting out "Don't worry! If she drops it I'll catch it!"

Pina did enjoy the sweet breathy tones of the flute, crooning along in harmony, but even dismantled the longest piece of the instrument still stuck out from the mouth of her pouch.

Finally, she picked up the flute's younger cousin.

"What do you think of the piccolo, Pina?" she asked hesitantly.

While some familiars would freeze at the high pitched, piping tones, Pina stood up on her hind legs, her blue ears pricked up in fascination.

"One of the benefits of piccolos is that they can produce high frequency harmonics that are inaudible to human ears," explained Maya.

"If you practice hard enough, you might even be able to play a silent tune that only familiars and those of us with high level musical skills can hear!"

**xxxxxxxxxx**

Returning home, her newly acquired instrument packed away safely in her pouch, Silica was unsurprised to discover the house unattended and Leafa's victuals missing from the kitchen.

_I might as well start practicing_, she thought, heading up to the bedroom overlooking the garden.

Dragging a chair to the open window, she started playing to herself, trying to form the correct embouchure to produce ultrasonic tones.

As she played, her thoughts drifted to a suggestion Koko had made before they parted ways.

"You know, Silica, it might be worth training your «_Perception_ » some more. Cait Syth have a racial bonus for sight and tracking, and if you can point out where to go then Pina might be even more helpful to you."

Continuing to play, she narrowed her eyes, scanning the room for any more signs of the fluffy black soot sprites she had discovered that morning.

A few minutes later, unsuccessful in her search, she turned back to the window.

_It'll be more fun looking for birds instead,_ she decided, seeking to spot the small robins nesting in the bushes.

Some time later, just as her experiments were starting to produce results, the round door at the rear of the garden split in two, each half sliding silently apart.

She lowered her piccolo, ducking to the side of the window while straining to make out the shapes in the darkness beyond the threshold.

As she watched, Leafa and Yui exited. Her eyes quickly picked out the cloth sacks held in both their hands, now empty of their contents.

**xxxxxxxxxx**

_Huh. I really want to know what's down that rabbit hole._

Silica gave up on her speculations, deciding that she didn't have enough information yet to even make an educated guess. Contemplating the secrecy that Leafa and Yui had conspired in, she made her decision.

_I really will have to take a closer look at that door. Maybe tomorrow after Leafa leaves to teach her flying lessons._

Curiosity, after all, is a hallmark of cats - no matter which world they inhabit.

**xxxxxxxxxx**

Silica stood in the courtyard in front of «_Arrun Tower _», waving good-bye as Leafa headed off to Flight Class with Yui in tow.

Leafa had invited her to participate in the class too, but had accepted her assurance that "Dragon Tamer Silica" was no longer a novice at flight.

A boast, she thought, that she had best start living up to.

"Let's go, Pina."

As the small blue dragon launched off her shoulder, Silica extended her own yellow wings.

Taking to the sky, they headed down towards Maya's music store. While chasing Pina the previous day she had spied something unusual - something worthy of a further look-see.

Crossing over several of Arrun's main Rings, they soon reached the correct Terrace. Pulling up from her arcing dive, Silica hovered while Pina continued to swirl around her, chirping happily.

Mindful of her limited flight time, she began to put her «_Perception_» to use, picking out landmarks that she had merely glimpsed the day before.

There – two lamp posts in close proximity next to a stone statue of a Gnome. There – a banner in deep blue with gold tassels on the end. And over there… Yes. Right over there, near the Terrace wall, was another quaint little garden almost hidden by the awnings surrounding it.

As she approached, she could make out the structure that had previously caught her eye. A small colonnade, six columns in total, colored dull white and camouflaged with several different types of moss.

What stood between them, however, was the true prize.

Swooping down, she flared her wings with grace, touching down lightly on the grass below.

Rather than join her, Pina continued to enjoy the freedom of flight, slaloming between the columns and pirouetting into vertical figures of eight.

Silica sounded her appreciation for the aerobatics, clapping her hands and singing out "Go, Pina!"

With one final mid-air spin, Pina alighted on top of the tallest column and started preening her feathers.

Silica turned her attention to her target. Below the columns, in the midst of a sea of vines, was a collection of large melons with striated green skins.

Yesterday evening, as she began planning Operation Wonderland, she had quickly realized that she would need something to match Leafa's lettuces. Something, if she could trust Yui's revelations, that a herbivore would enjoy.

And what better to trump a lettuce than a watermelon?

While she waited for her wings to fully recharge she picked through the melon patch, choosing two that looked ripe and were just small enough for her to carry.

Placing her two selections in the cloth bag she had… liberated… the night before, she called out to Pina. With her new acquisition held tightly in both hands, they wended their way back through the air towards their new home.

**xxxxxxxxxx**

Standing by the kitchen bench, Silica upended the bag, letting the two melons roll out in readiness for preparation.

Before she cut them into segments, however, she needed to check how easy it would be to access the passageway.

Opening the back door, she took in the sight of the garden once more.

From ground level the unvarnished round wooden door was visible through the foliage, standing above a raised, moss-covered stone terrace that led out to the garden gate on the left.

Two decorative metal hoops covered in a greenish patina suggestive of bronze stood out from the center of the door, curving towards one another and almost touching in the middle.

_As if they're a hair's breadth from kissing each other_. Silica blushed as the stray thought passed through her mind.

The camber of the handles appeared just about perfect for someone to lay their hand around both in an effort to pull the door open.

_An effort,_ she thought, _that would be doomed to failure._

If she hadn't seen the doors slide apart last night, even she might have fallen for that little piece of deception.

Narrowing her gaze, there was no sign of a seam or line dividing the door between the handles. Her perception might still need some training, but she was certain that even close up there would be no indication of the true method for opening the door.

From her shoulder came a soft "Kya!"

Glancing to the side, she could see Pina's red eyes lancing to the right.

Following the direction of her dragon's gaze, she scanned the garden…

There!

Peeking out from the grass were two white, drooping-ears, while a small fur tipped trunk probed the air around it, looking almost like a chibi albino elephant!

Creeping out the door, Silica began to stalk this unusual looking being.

Crouching as she approached, she soon realized that she was mistaken. Rather than four stout legs, the little animal instead moved about on a series of stumpy, slender tentacles reminiscent of a giant isopod that she had once seen a picture of in class.

Taking care to remain silent, she carefully moved closer.

The small animal was now snuffling at the base of the round door.

_Just… a little… closer... _

Silica coiled her muscles, preparing to pounce…

*fwshh*

Silica's eyes bulged, blinking rapidly as she sat back down on her haunches.

Right in front of her, the little beastie had turned translucent, moving forward as if phasing through the door before disappearing completely.

_No more waiting. I'm going to get through that door _right now.

**xxxxxxxxxx**

Panting, Silica growled as sweat beaded on her forehead.

_One… two… three!_

She strained once more, trying to separate the two handles.

A final pull…

"Kya!"

Wings flapping in a flurry, claws clasping the top of the left hand hoop, Pina was doing her best to help out too.

Silica gritted her teeth, dragging on the same handle with her full body weight.

"Rrrrhaa!"

…

Nothing changed.

The door remained stubbornly closed, neither half budging even a fraction of an inch.

With a frustrated sigh, she let the tension fade from her body.

"It's no good Pina. We're just not strong enough."

Sitting down on the edge of the raised stone terrace, she contemplated the problem standing before them.

After the chibi isopod had vanished, she had scanned the door and the area around it looking for anything _else _out of the ordinary.

There was no parting of grass or rustling of tentacle-feet to suggest that the albino beast had simply become invisible before heading back across the garden. There were no oddly shaped or oddly tilted stones in the terrace, no blemishes in the surrounding wall with moss partially rubbed off, no holes in the ground, no cracks around the edge of the door, no hidden patterns in the grain of the wood.

In fact, so far as she could tell, there was nothing to suggest the presence of an external trigger for the magic that had allowed the animal to phase through the door.

Her careful inspection had, however, revealed a small keyhole hiding directly behind one of the handles.

A keyhole for which she had no key.

Leading, after some earlier attempts to jimmy the lock, to her decision to attempt to force the door open.

She hung her head dejectedly while Pina leant against her right knee.

Her _failed_ attempts to jimmy the lock.

Just like her _failed _attempt to force the door.

"What should we do now, Pina?"

Pina flared one of her tail feathers, then purred supportively against her leg.

"OK, we shouldn't give up just yet. Let me think…"

Once again, she positioned herself in her "thinking pose" - arms crossed with her fist propping up her chin.

_It didn't work last time,_ _but maybe with some more practice_?

An expression of concentration crossed her face as she listed what Yui had once called the "available assets."

_- One door, made of wood, slides apart in the middle when opened. Scratch-proof against daggers._

_- Two handles, decorative looking, currently refusing to budge._

_- One keyhole, size small._

_- One key. Currently conspicuous by its absence – whereabouts unknown, possibly with Leafa?_

_- One plucky light-blue Feathery Dragon, also size small, capable of producing bubbles but lacking in bulk._

_- One Dragon Tamer. Status – tired. Currently sitting in "thinking pose", yellow wings retracted._

_- Two watermelons in a cloth sack. Delicious but not for immediate use._

_- Obsidian dagger, proven by recent experimentation to be too big to fit in keyhole_

_- One pouch, containing purse of Yurudo and new Musical Instrument, code-name "Piccolo"._

_- One inner pocket, containing… Letter from Argo?_

She drew the letter out. She had received it while passing through Tristania while Louise had been handing in their Report on the Tarbes mission.

Written on several pages of thin parchment and stamped with Argo's new Seal, the letter was a response to the PM she had sent prior to Transition asking Argo about her SAO stats which had been transferred to ALO along with her avatar's appearance.

She had only scanned it briefly a couple of days ago, but if she remembered rightly, it might have a clue to solve her current dilemma…

Glancing at the ochre wax imprinted with 6 stylized lines in the shape of whiskers, she quickly rifled through the pages.

_Familiar Recovery_  
_Familiar Communication_  
_Acrobatics_  
_Sewing_  
_Cooking_

There it was!

_Musical Instrument_

_So, your Music skill is 749, Silica-chan? Better level it up to 750 as quick as you can then. A couple Puca have confirmed that the level 750 perk is an ability called "unlock". Lets you unlock a chest or door if you hit the right sequence of notes to match the lock's "frequency". Doesn't work in Towns or Safe Areas, and it's pretty useless for Rogues since the noise will give you away and draw any nearby mobs, but might be helpful for collecting loot. There's also the flip side – play the music backwards and you get "lock" instead. Plenty of prank potential in that one since it _does _work in Safe Areas - try playing some "music" for Kii-bou when you next visit him, then watch him struggle with his "unlocked" door when he decides to leave the room! Actually, wait until I'm there too so we can get some good pics!_

_..._

_Ok, let's give it a go and see what happens._

Silica carefully drew out her piccolo. With all her practice yesterday and this morning, she might just have enough experience…

Aiming at the door, she willed the notes to connect with the keyhole.

High, low, high…

She varied the pitch and tone, feeling the vibrations return, straining to feel for the lock…

"Kya, kya, Kyahhh," as Pina joined in, she felt a change.

Just a slight one, but the reflected sounds seemed to be slightly changed in pitch.

With Pina crooning by her side, she gradually started to get a feel for it.

A sharp there, down a tone there, then keep the pitch neutral…

Gradually she picked up her pace, modulating her tone to follow the hints being fed back to her, reflected from the lock.

The _Trio for Pina, Piccolo and Keyhole_ took form, a trilling flight of music, harmonic rather than melodic in form.

*click*

The lock opened.

This time, a firm push was all that was necessary to separate the two halves of the door.

Dragon firmly perched on top of her head, dagger in its sheath at her back, piccolo safely ensconced in pouch, she straightened her shoulders and entered the dimly lit passage beyond.


	34. aightaight2 - My Neighbor Tonkii (2)

**My Neighbor Tonkii - Invitations and Visitations**  
**by _aightaight2_**

**xxxxxxxxxx**

Making her way forward Silica took note her new surroundings. The grey flagstones covering the floor were unmarred by any greenery, while the walls and the ceiling seemed to be formed from the same type of wood as the door. Ahead the path curved gently down and away.

The stone began to peter out until it was fully replaced by more of the same impenetrable wood, glinting with a dull sheen as it reflected the ambient light. There was no dust or footprints to show that anyone had passed this way before.

_So this is what it feels like to be a Clearer. Breaking forward into the unknown, following the path untrodden._

Her hand strayed briefly towards the hilt of her dagger before returning to her side.

Pina had draw her tail feathers up, curling them beneath her wings, her neck twisting from side to side as her red eyes restlessly scanned the corridor ahead and behind.

Silica paused, raising a nervous hand to stroke Pina's side.

_Am I giving comfort, or taking it?_ _At least I know that Leafa and Yui have been this way before._

Fluorescent mushrooms growing at the edge of the path provided just enough light to guide her on her way.

_Chasing an albino-elephant-isopod, _she thought, _is surely no more dangerous than following a White Rabbit._ _Maybe there'll be a Wonderland waiting below for me to explore?_

Bolstering her courage once more, she hefted the sack over her shoulder and strode forward with a determined tread.

Ten minutes later, Silica had descended quite a distance below the streets of Arrun. As she progressed the incline of the passage had increased, the slope sprouting steps, the steps converging into stairs, and the stairs eventually joining up in a single curving staircase interspersed only by an occasional landing.

The air, which had originally been quite balmy, had cooled appreciably along the way, causing her to shiver as it took on a chill edge.

Pina's feathers rustled occasionally as she shifted her weight, her movements subdued as she weathered the change of environment. Discomforted by the confined space, it was clear that Feathery Dragons enjoy the open sky much more than enclosed tunnels.

They were both familiar with the dungeons of Aincrad, but this lengthy downward spiral had long since surpassed the depth of any dungeon on that sky-bound Castle.

Ahead of them a spray of flickering light appeared, reflected along the walls of the tunnel. Slowing her pace Silica prepared herself, passing the sack to her left hand while her right gripped her dagger, prepared to draw it at an instant's notice.

A few more steps...

*_Wow_*

Her breath caught in awe.

The walls ahead disappeared abruptly, as if the path had reached the bottom of the earth's crust before projecting through a hole into the Underworld beyond. The stairs continued onwards, carved into the side of one of Yggdrasil's roots, thrusting downward into a vast cavern.

She made her way gingerly around the last few turns of stairs, discovering a platform suspended around the tapered point of the root. The floor of the chamber could be seen several hundred mails below.

There appeared to be no way down.

Taking stock of the panorama around her, she wondered what Leafa and Yui had done after arriving at this isolated outpost.

_Well, in some ways I was right. A Wonderland of Winter awaits, if I can only find some way to get there._

Above her, small points of light flickered against the canopy like stars in the night sky, the soft luminescence sourced from thousands of icicles hanging suspended from the roof. Each emitted a faint white phosphorescent glow, with an added tinge of color reflected from a series of yellow-green and purple-blue bonfires burning on the floor far below.

League upon league of tundra was spread out before her. Frozen white lakes, ice-crusted rivers, snowy mountains, stark cliffs and deep ravines were all scattered across the frigid landscape, interspersed with fortresses of stone capped with more of the frosted icicles. Directly below stood a broad, dark lake, deep enough and still enough to take on the appearance of a bottomless black void. The edge of the chamber was beyond her sight, shrouded in dim shadows.

To her right a series of roots wove together like a basket, supporting a block of translucent bluish ice several stories high that was shaped like an inverted pyramid.

"Kyyyaaa"

On Silica's head, Pina flapped her wings energetically, pleased to have open space before her once again. Launching herself into the crystal clear air she began to glide away towards the suspended block of ice.

"Wait, Pina – we don't know what's out there! There might be bats! Or Vampires! Or Vampire bats!"

As she craned her neck to watch her familiar, a frisson of warning traveled up and down her back, her tail flaring straight out.

A moment later, something furry nuzzled that very appendage.

"Gyyah!"

Leaping in the air, the Cait Syth's hands flew to her backside. The sack arced upwards, spilling its contents, the two melons splattering as they hit the platform.

Landing in the midst of the reddish carnage, Silica looked around frantically. Behind her, a large chuck of watermelon had wedged itself into the tip of a long, fur covered trunk which had snaked up over the edge of the platform.

A chirping "Hyuruhyuru!" sounded from below.

Floating out from beneath the platform, like a leviathan surfacing from the sea, an enormous beast emerged.

If the isopod she had followed was a chibi-elephant, then this one was super-jumbo sized.

Her eyes widened at the sight before her. Large ears, a long fur-covered elephant-like trunk, and a body over 10 mails long were supported by eight white, glowing, radial wings. Below the animal dangled a score of smooth white tentacles, while it gazed at her out of three dinner-plate sized jet-black eyes lined up side-by-side at the front of its face.

With a soft "Hieeee!" the long nose gently wound back down, placing the wedge of watermelon in its mouth.

"Yurururuu!" With a cry of delight, the flying elephant-jellyfish flared its wings in exaltation.

Stretching out its trunk, it began to gather up the rest of the smashed fruit, causing Silica to jump backwards to avoid being swept off her feet.

The dark eyes blinked comically in pleasure as it scooped its new find into its mouth. It was clear to Silica that she had chosen correctly.

In Aincrad, taming was a matter of chance and preparedness. On rare occasions, small monsters would show an interest in players, and if you happened to feed it its favored food then it would serve you as a valuable ally.

In this new mix of Alfheim and Halkegenia, taming no longer caused a familiar bond to form, but a creature's stomach was clearly still the best way to gain its loyalty, and she had once again hit the jackpot.

_Hyah! Dragon Tamer Silica is back in business!_

**xxxxxxxxxx**

Standing near the stairs leading down to the platform, Silica watched as her new acquaintance finished its treat before hovering in front of her.

_Since I'm the visitor, it's only polite that I go first._

Bowing low, she introduced herself.

"I'm Silica. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu!"

"Yrrruu-?"

"Oh, that's Pina."

She waved her hand at the blue feathered head peeking out above her shoulder. The feathery dragon had returned after Silica's earlier startled shout, but was clearly uncertain what to make of the furry flying-beast before them.

"She's happy to meet you too."

"Yrrwwn?"

"No, she's just a little shy around strangers."

Fortunately, the beast's expressive eyes, along with her own «_Familiar Communication _» skill, were enough for her to keep up her end of the conversation.

"What should I call you? There aren't too many flying beasts in Wonderland. Maybe 'Gryphon'?"

The white creature's ears drooped, its tentacles shaking in disapproval.

"Oooo-n."

"Sorry, sorry. You're much more friendly than a stuck-up Gryphon anyway. I suppose you already have a name?"

This time, a gentle "blururururu" came from the beast like a soft susurration.

"Of course you do. Maybe you can spell it out for me?"

The creature started crooning, a series of long, low pitched tones, repeated thrice over. If she hadn't worked so hard on her Music Skill, she may have missed the subtle undertones. As it was, however…

"tttoooo, oooonnnn, kkkkkyyyiiiiiiiiii"

"Tooo-oonn-kii… Tonkii? Your name is Tonkii?"

"Kwoo-n!"

With a quick flirt of its trunk, it was clear that Silica had guessed correctly.

"I'm sure we'll be great friends, Tonkii!"

As they conversed, Pina had not been idle. After dropping down from Silica's back, she had been carefully sneaking up on her fellow avian.

From the corner of her eye, Silica saw her just as she reached out towards one of Tonkii's hanging tentacles.

_Clearly it isn't just Cait Syth who are amused by dangling threads._

A moment later a startled "Kwoon!" echoed as Tonkii lifted the tentacle out of Pina's reach.

Thus began a spirited game of keep-away, the feathery dragon flitting about chasing tentacles as Tonkii tried to avoid her. Silica couldn't help but giggle at the sight.

_Yes! Fly, Pina! Be the instrument of my revenge! That's what you get for pulling on a Cait Syth's tail!_

**xxxxxxxxxx**

Eventually the game ran down, Pina clasping one of the tentacles with all four limbs as it curled up around her.

Looking at the world below, Silica realized that her ticket to further exploration was floating right in front of her. All she had to do was convince Tonkii to be her Tour Guide.

"Your world looks wonderful, Tonkii. Do you think you could show it to me?"

Tonkii blinked slowly, then extended its trunk, picking her up and depositing her on its back.

She clasped the fur beneath her just in time. Four pairs of white wings fluttered, and with a swooping dive the aerial tour began.

**xxxxxxxxxx**

By the time they returned the three had become fast friends.

Between praising Tonkii's world and expressing her delight at the sights before her, Silica had chattered away about her experiences in Alfheim.

"I don't suppose you already know a couple of my other friends? They're faeries just like me, named Leafa and Yui. They might have come down this way yesterday?"

"Kwoo-n!"

This time Tonkii's ears flipped up, its eye squinting in obvious pleasure.

"Uuuuuooo Kwwwiiii!"

"I know! She's even cuter when she turns into a pixie!"

Hovering in front of the platform once more, Silica realized that she had a very important question to ask before she headed back to the surface.

"Thank you for showing me your home, Tonkii. Has Leafa invited you visit ours yet?"

"Yyrruu-n?"

"Oh, I'm sure she'd be delighted. It's just that she's trying so hard to be mature that she sometimes forgets… I'd be happy to show you around though. Arrun's nice and warm at this time of year, and the World Tree is simply _amazing_."

Perched once more on Silica's head, Pina stretched a wing towards the hole in the roof and made a plaintive "Khyaa!"

"Oh." Silica's tail drooped in disappointment. "You're right, Pina. That tunnel is _way_ too small for Tonkii."

She turned back to the creature in question.

"Unless you can phase through the wood like that chibi-isopod, Tonkii?"

"Ooooo-n"

"I don't suppose you know another way up?"

"Hyyrburu."

Silica wasn't quite sure what to make of that response.

"Could you show me?"

**xxxxxxxxxx**

A minute later Tonkii had coasted around to the other side of Yggdrasil's roots, reaching a point roughly the same distance from the centre of the suspended crystal pyramid.

Rather than a platform and a set of carved spiral stairs, this time the roof was pierced only by bare, smooth-bored shaft.

"Does it go all the way to the surface, Tonkii?"

"Bruru…"

As they approached, it became clear that the shaft was wide enough to fit several Tonkii's side by side.

Fluttering its wings a few more times, Tonkii ascended rapidly, the walls of the tunnel scooting past in a rush.

A minute later, Tonkii abruptly slowed down.

The reason for the change of pace became quickly apparent – the shaft was capped. Just like the entrance she had used earlier in the day, a smooth circle of unvarnished wood blocked the exit to Arrun's surface.

"Do you know how to open it, Tonkii?"

In response, Tonkii floated to the centre of the shaft before pointing several of its tentacles at the perimeter of the shaft.

Without warning, the tentacles began to shift color, emitting a blue glow…

"Kwooon!"

A massive crackling thunderbolt was released from each of the legs, drawn to a metal band that encircled the shaft just below the wooden cap.

A series of engraved swirls began to glow, reaching three-quarters of the way up the band before gradually dying down again.

Tonkii sounded a sad "_Oo―n_"

"I see."

"Don't worry, Tonkii, I'm sure that if we work together we'll be able to find some way to power that hatch."

_Salamanders are aspected to fire, Undines to water, Sylphs to air, and Gnomes to earth. Imps favor darkness, Spriggans illusion, Pucas sound, and Cait Syth nature. For lightning… maybe a Leprechaun? They're supposed to have an affinity for crafting though..._

"I may need to get some help. Could you take us back to the other entrance, Tonkii? I promise that we'll visit again soon."

**xxxxxxxxxx**

Fortunately, the door at the top of the passageway opened from the inside without any need for a key or a note to be played. Peering through the gap, Silica checked that no one was visible in the kitchen or the bedroom above before exiting into the little backyard garden.

As Pina gamboled toward the kitchen door, she mused on the day's events.

_Every time I solve one problem, it seems that another crops up in its place. I wonder if this is what Alice felt like by the time she met the Queen of Hearts? I could ask Leafa and Yui to help… Maybe this time they won't just give me riddles to solve like the Hatter and the Cheshire Cat. _

_Neither of them are Leprechauns though… _

As she entered through the back door, she could hear familiar voices coming from the front parlor.

_Is that… Lisbeth? Wasn't she learning smithing from that crazy sword-smith in __Goubniu?_

Entering the room, the pinkette in the red dress was easily identifiable.

_Well, she's obviously here now. _

_Together, I'm sure we can find a solution._

**xxxxxxxxxx**

As Silica entered the parlor both Leafa and Lisbeth turned towards her.

"Silica-chan! It's good to see you."

"Thanks Liz. It's good to see you too."

"Kyah!"

By now Silica had a fairly good appreciation of the subtle variations of Pina's calls. That was Kyah-type-seven: "_Don't forget me!"_

"I'm sure a good friend like Liz hasn't forgotten you, Pina," she said to her feathery friend.

"Of course not! I was just talking to Leafa right now about this great grocery store I found in the lower Ring – they even had peanuts!"

That was Liz, always ready to play to the customers. At least when she wasn't complaining; or treating you like you'd just done something stupid.

"Kyyah!"

And that was Pina for "_Gimme!_"

"I'll take you there tomorrow, Pina. I'm sure Liz will be happy to tell me the address."

As Liz nodded her confirmation, Leafa re-joined the conversation.

"What have you and Pina been up to today, Silica?" she asked, adroitly avoiding Liz's mistake.

_Hah! The game's afoot, little-miss-secretive. _

Silica had been planning this conversation since Tonkii had dropped her off at the platform. Liz's presence simply added an extra dose of spice.

_Start with the hook…_

"Oh, Pina spent the day playing with a friend of hers."

"Really? Is that black dragon visiting Arrun now?"

_Let the line play out…_

"No, as far as I know Schwarz is still with Botan in Tristania. It is someone you know though."

"Really? Who was it – or do you want me to guess?"

_A little more…_

"A really great guy. He's strong and powerful, and pretty good with his wings too. He said you'd been seeing him pretty regularly."

"OH? Leafa-chan has a boyfriend now?" Liz chimed in with perfect timing.

"O-o-of course not!" Leafa stuttered. "What's his name, Silica?"

_And sinker!_

"He said his name was Tonkii."

Leafa froze, mouth agape, her complexion draining to an even paler shade of white.

Silica turned to Liz, refusing to let the opportunity go to waste.

"See, Liz! I told you she knew him!"

"Oh ho – so he really is your boyfriend then!" Liz directed back at Leafa, a glint in her eye as she tracked her new prey.

"N..nn..no –"

Silica interrupted once more.

"He was so sad that Leafa had never invited him to visit her here. He wouldn't let me go until I promised to help him out!"

"You've been visiting regularly but you haven't even told him where you live, Leafa? What's the problem?"

"I.. I… he's not…"

Fortunately for Leafa, Yui entered the room at that moment.

"What's wrong with Aunt Sugu?"

"She's about to tell us about her new boyfriend. What was his name again, Silica?"

"Tonkii"

"Tonkii?" Yui's face took on a distracted look. "But… the only Tonkii we know is –"

She stopped herself before she could let out the secret. "How do you know about Tonkii, Silica?"

"Pina and I visited him today."

"Oh." Yui paused again, peering uncertainly at Leafa.

"Tonkii _isn't _my boyfriend!" her intervention had at least allowed Leafa's speech processes to reboot. "He's not… he's too… we were… he's too big to fit in here!"

Or maybe not.

That last comment was just too much – Silica couldn't stop herself from falling to the ground, helpless to stop her laughter.

**xxxxxxxxxx**

After Leafa had regained her composure and Silica had stopped rolling on the floor laughing, the conversation picked up again - this time interspersed only by the occasional snigger.

"So, Tonkii is a friendly giant elephant-jellyfish Mob?" Liz asked.

"Yes."

"And he can't get up to Arrun because he doesn't have enough lightning power to charge up the hatch leading to the surface?"

"Right again."

"And you want me to come up with a way to help out?"

"Of course. Everyone knows how pretty, and clever, and helpful, and just all-around-wonderful you are, Liz!"

"Don't push your luck, kiddo."

_OK, Silica, don't let your success go to your head. _She snickered again. _Too much._

"Well… I think I'll need to meet Tonkii and have a look at this hatch-mechanism myself."

**xxxxxxxxxx**

At lunchtime the next day the four of them reconvened in the parlor. It would have been five, but Pina was comfortably curled around a bowl of newly bought peanuts, too preoccupied to participate.

"Six charging runes, equally spaced around the edge of the hatch. The problem is that a lot of the lightning energy dissipates before it gets to the correct runes," Liz said in a musing tone. "What we really need is some way to concentrate it in the right places."

"I know that lasers can be used to guide lightning" Leafa added.

"And if we could make lasers, I'm sure we'd already be using them for all sorts of things," a disgruntled Liz replied.

"Could we use something more old fashioned?" Yui asked.

"Like a lightning rod? … it may be possible if we can get them to stick in the right places."

"One of the other Cait Syth couriers was complaining about the lack of Super Glue in Halkegenia. She said that she had to use up a lot of her mana with sticking spells instead," Silica's contributed "I'm sure I could get her to teach me."

"So, six lightning rods… no, better make it twelve. If we split them between Tonkii's tentacles and the runes, I'm sure we can get enough of the lightning aimed in the right direction!"

The four of them all nodded, satisfied with this solution.

"And if we do get Tonkii out, he'll need some armor too. Just in case some of the locals get antsy before they realize that he's a friendly Mob - wouldn't want such a lovely guy to get hurt!"

"Great idea, Liz. Where are we going to get them made, though?"

"Well, the armor will have to be specially made. I took enough measurements that I can draw up some plans and send them off to my mentor Kofu. The lightning rods, though… maybe we can get a local blacksmith to make them up? I'd do it myself but I don't have access to a forge here – or the copper."

"There was that blacksmith we saw on the way to the grocers. Kazumi-san. He's got a bit of a reputation for overcharging though…" Leafa added.

Liz perked up at this. "Don't worry about that. I've been taking lessons with Agil when Kofu gives me some time off. Can't run your own blacksmith shop without knowing how to haggle as well as how to smith! Just leave all the negotiating to me."

**xxxxxxxxxx**

"Hmm, twelve conical lightning guides made of copper, each a foot long, six with an internal cross-brace?" the blacksmith Kazumi failed to hide his smirk.

"Shall we say 10 sous each… for a total of 120 sous?"

Lisbeth flinched.

That was a tactic she had learned from Agil. If you complained that a price was too high, your opponent would simply harden their bargaining position. If you flinched (whether deliberate or not), then they couldn't help but fear that their asking price was too exorbitant.

"Surely they couldn't cost more than 50 sous?" she asked, putting on a worried frown.

The bargaining had begun.

"I suppose I could go as low as 95," the blacksmith countered.

"And I'll go as high as 45," Liz offered.

"Considering my skills, they're worth at _least. . . _excuse me," the blacksmith blinked. "Did you say 45?"

"Actually," Liz conceded, "I misspoke."

"I thought so." The blacksmith smiled again.

"I meant 40."

"Now, see here – " the blacksmith began.

"Look, Kazumi," Liz's expression hardened for the first time since entering the store. "You have three choices. You can make them for me at a price we can agree on; I can send the designs to my Gnome friend Kofu to make for me when she's no longer busy; or I can hire a forge for a couple of ecu and sell whatever else I make in competition with you. Even at 35 sous you'll still make a profit. Don't look at this as a chance to make a quick windfall, look at it as a chance to prove your skills and stop a potential future customer from going to a competitor!"

_Of course, _she thought, _Kofu would never agree to make something as mundane as a lightning guide. _She forcefully suppressed a shiver at the thought of trying to convince Kofu to make _twelve _of them. _But Kazumi doesn't need to know that!_

Kazumi thought about it for a few moments.

"Very well," he said, grimacing. "40 it is."

"I believe the figure under discussion was 35," Silica piped up.

That earned her a black look from the blacksmith.

She pretended not to notice, turning her body at an angle with her arms crossed behind her back, right toe swiveling against the floor as she glanced up at him through her lashes. On her head Pina did her part, widening her eyes and lowering her wings as if to say "surely you're not angry at a cute little dragon like me?"

The dragon on the head seemed to do the trick.

"35," he said, forcing the words out through gritted teeth. "Payable in advance!"

Lizbeth studied her adversary for a moment, then conceded.

As Agil had also told her on one memorable occasion _"After victory, let your defeated enemy carry his dignity from the field. Just don't let him carry off anything else!"_

"We'll be back to collect them at noon tomorrow!"

No sense letting him get in the final word though.

The four girls and one feathery-dragon turned as one.

_Just one more day, and Tonkii will be out and about in Arrun!_

**xxxxxxxxxx**

Over two weeks had passed since the intrepid foursome had collected the lightning guides from Kazumi. They had visited Tonkii to check that he could grasp them by the crossbraces, but they hadn't been able to proceed beyond that point.

The following days had been busy in other ways. Leafa had learned from Argo that the Dunkirk raid had been launched, and they had all gone to Tristania to await the Operation's outcome.

The subsequent Victorious Return of Tristain's fleet, carrying with it a full complement of SAO and Royalist survivors, had been wonderful to witness. From Silica's perspective though, Asuna's safe return and her heartwarming reunion with Yui had been even more important – a vindication of her decision to log into ALO to help Kirito find and rescue her.

After a month of strain and uncertainty the Fae had grabbed the opportunity to celebrate with both hands. Yes, there had been losses, but in the month since the Transition over forty Fae had already died fighting on their behalf as part of the Mob Patrols. A resounding victory against a Tyrant who had threatened to dispossess them and drive them from their homes… that was worthy of the fireworks and banquets that had followed.

After returning to Arrun they had all remained busy. Leafa had introduced Asuna to Tonkii, Silica had learned the necessary sticking spells from her fellow Cait Syth courier, and Yui had been spending time at Maya's store after stating that they needed to have proper back ground music on hand for Tonkii's first foray into the world above.

Kirito had spent quite a lot of time closeted in Arrun Tower – Silica had even seen him disappearing into a heavily warded room with Argo and the Count of Gaddan while she had been dropping off a missive from Tristania as part of her courier duties. Somehow Kirito had also managed to scrape together enough Yurudo to pay for Tonkii's armor – with the necessary funds in hand Lisbeth had returned to Goubniu to help Kofu craft it.

**xxxxxxxxxx**

Silica was currently exploring Arrun's «Central Markets », this time of her own volition rather than in pursuit of an errand given to her by one of her housemates.

The previous evening they had received word from Lisbeth via Dragon Post that she would be returning to Arrun with the Tonkii's new barding.

She had felt a number of emotions at the news – pleasure that another goal had been reached, relief that Tonkii would be protected enough to visit Arrun's skies, and an overwhelming sense of sympathy for her Leprechaun friend (who must have been working with Kofu around the clock to have completed the armor so soon).

She had been so busy thinking about their next visit to Tonkii that only an accidental flick behind the ear from Pina had alerted her to Kirito's quiet conversation with Asuna. Keeping an ear trained on them, she was only partly surprised to learn that the urgency of Liz's work was due to Mortimer's decision to fund the Armor as a Priority War Project. Apparently Kirito had convinced him that it was worth investing in the friendly "Evil God" as a potential Guardian for Arrun. Certainly his presence would be a nasty surprise for anyone trying to raid Arrun, and Silica was sure that they could count on Tonkii as an ally.

Liz's tireless efforts were certainly worthy of a gift of appreciation though.

Walking between the colorful stalls, Silica checked looked around for a suitable present… something that Liz would enjoy.

_She did say that she liked sweet foods… but chocolate is so rare at the moment… too expensive for me to afford…_

Turning around a corner, her nose caught the particular scent of fresh baked goods, drawing her gaze to a patisserie stall.

_Perfect_

Behind the stall stood an old man dressed in a dark green suit. The sun shone upon his bald pate, while a set of thick black whiskers covered his cheeks and chin. He stared hard at Silica as she approached, before peering at Pina with equal intensity.

"So, young Cait Syth. What can I do for ya today?"

"I'd like something special for a friend of mine. Something sweet."

Leaning forward, he spoke once more in a slow and creaky tone.

"I have just the thing. And if you buy six of them… I'll even throw in this extra-special reagent as part of the deal, my dear."

Reaching into his pocket, his wizened hand pulled out a small paper bag.

"See this?" he whispered, waving it in front of her. "Take a look. Inside is something wonderful, perfect for yourself or ya friend."

Tilting the bag towards her, she could just make out a mass of small green crystals, each one about the size of a grain of rice. They seemed strangely bright, as if lit with an inner luminosity that caused them to sparkle.

"What are they?"

"Magic. Magic and power, mystery and wonder. A thousand crystallized crocodile tongues, steeped in a special witches brew. A creation of my own mother - just waiting for the right person to come to collect them. And that person… that person could be you! Six pastries for your friend, and I'll give ya these too!"

Moving his hand up and down, Silica could hear the grains rustling against one another, the sound much louder than the small grains should have been capable of making.

"But… what am I supposed to do with them?"

The old man stopped rattling the bag, standing straight again and smiling.

"All you hafta do is take a large jug'o water, pour the little green things into it, then the person who's going to use it needs to slowly add ten hairs from their head. Only one at a time, mind you. That'll set them off! In a couple of minutes they'll froth and bubble. As soon as that happens, you've gotta quickly drink it all down - the whole jug-full mind you. After that, marvelous things will start happening to ya – fabulous, unbelievable things! But you'll never have such an experience if you don't take my offer!"

_Oh._ Silica realized. _It's a drug._

She was clever enough to realize the dangers of trying such substances, her own parents having driven home the "Just say no to drugs" message... but she couldn't just say no here. This unscrupulous merchant would just try to pass them off to some other less discriminating customer!

_I'd better accept the offer – then I'll take them straight to the Arrun Street Patrol, so they can stop him selling any more of it!_

**xxxxxxxxxx**

With her bag of pastries in one hand and the small pouch of grains in the other, Silica dodged around the other shoppers. Her eyes were quickly scanning the crowds, using her perception skill to seek out one of the Street Patrol. On her shoulder Pina was looking too. Thus far, however, the duo had been unsuccessful.

They were just passing one of the World Tree's buttress-like roots when the crowd shifted around them.

In front of them, two newly arrived Albionian sailors had decided to do some busking to earn a little extra money. One of them took up a dancing stance while the other brought his lips to his pennywhistle.

As the hornpipe began Silica discovered in an instant that Pina considered the music to be a close cousin to the pan pipes.

A quick "Kya" and the little Dragon was off, twirling in her own aerial dance above the crowd.

Trying to keep track of her familiar, Silica took her eyes of the course that she had been plotting. This instant reaction was a mistake, as her subsequent step proved. Stumbling on the uneven floor she tumbled to the ground, the paper pouch splitting open and spilling the grains onto the root below her. Surprisingly, the grains were absorbed into the wood an instant later.

_Oh no!_ Silica thought. _I'll have to explain to a patroller what happened, but without any proof…_

At least the bag of pastries had been protected in her other hand. She stood up slowly, watching the Hornpipe come to an end before seeking out Pina, before continuing their search at a slower pace.

**xxxxxxxxxx**

The next morning, six Faeries and a Feathery Dragon stood upon the wooden platform suspended beneath Jotunheimr's ceiling.

Silica had a sack in each hand, one with a watermelon culled from her own secret watermelon patch in lower Arrun, while the other contained the twelve pointy copper lightning rods. Yui was in her child form, a blue bottle of stored Puca music from Maya's store ready in her hand. The other four Fae, Kirito, Asuna, Leafa and Lisbeth, were weighed down with sacks containing Tonkii's new Armor. Even though it was made out of an alloy that was incredibly light for its strength, they still needed all of Kirito's Extended Weight Limit to bring it down to the cavern in a single trip.

Soon after Leafa had called for him, Tonkii arrived with an ululating "Hyuruhyuru!"

"Hey Tonkii, it's time to get that hatch working! We need to get the Armor on you first though – that way we'll know for sure that you'll be safe when we visit Arrun!"

"Kww-ooon?"

"I'm sure you'll get used to it! If you stay still while we fit it, I'll give you this watermelon when we're done!" Said Silica. Holding up the watermelon in front of Tonkii's three central eyes, she was certain that she had just ensured his compliance with their plan.

Between Lizbeth's instructions and Asuna's acrobatic skills, it didn't take long for Tonkii to be fitted out in his new gear.

"You look very handsome like that, Tonkii. Here's the watermelon, just like I promised."

With a happy hum, Tonkii swallowed his prize. "Kwoon!"

**xxxxxxxxxx**

A few minutes later, they sextet were standing upon Tonkii's back as he flew towards the hatchway.

Arriving below the wooden cap, Silica directed Tonkii towards each the six activating runes in turn. With her newly learned magic glue spell, she was swiftly able to stick one of the lightning guides to the metal band below each of the charging sigils.

Tonkii then floated back to the center of the vertical passageway, snaking six of his tentacles up above his head so that Leafa could pass the other six lightning guides into his grasp.

"Ready, everyone?"

Leafa asked, when she was done.

A chorus of positive responses came back.

"I'm ready with the music, Aunt Sugu." Said Yui, standing closest to Tonkii's head with the Puca bottle in her dainty hands.

"Ready, Tonkii?"

"Kwoooon!"

A brief pause followed, then Tonkii's tentacles lit up with a blue glow once more. This time, he pointed three tentacles towards each of the runes, each grouping centered about and upon one of the copper guides.

With a cracking roar, the thunderbolts ripped out, brighter and much more concentrated than on their previous attempt.

The runes lit up, this time charging up quickly until the engraved swirls were glowing in completeness.

_Success!_

With a rumbling grind, the hatchway split in the middle, the two leaves retracting into a slot in the wall just like the entrance to the other secret passage.

"Great job Tonkii!" Silica praised as her fellow Fae cheered.

"When you're ready, Tonkii, start ascending slowly to the surface! Everyone, look out for any other obstacles in the way!"

As Tonkii began to slowly rise, Yui opened her music bottle. The strains of her chosen song providing the accompaniment as they rode the air currents towards the World Tree above.

Above them, a circle of blue sky cut by a tracery of distant green leaves and branches widened as they rose.

Breaking above the surface, the World Tree soaring for miles above them, Silica couldn't help but be pleased with the outcome of their plan.

_Very often challenges are merely – challenges. Precipitating no calamity, although certainly requiring adaptation. And with enough creativity, just about any obstacle can be overcome!_

She found herself shouting out loud once more.

"Welcome to our home, Tonkii!"


	35. aightaight2 - My Neighbor Tonkii (3)

_[Bishop-chan's Notes - No, my delay in updating days ago was not caused by playing a game about space ninjas vs clones, corporations and infestations in their quest for phat lewt. Definitely not.]_

**My Hero Tonkii - Tonkii and the Giant Fruit**  
**by_ aightaight2_**

**xxxxxxxxxx**

In the middle of the Faerie Capital's Central District a conical building towered over the surrounding mansions. Discounting the World Tree, the aptly named Arrun Tower was easily the tallest structure in the city. It was also one also one of the most important, housing both the Faerie's newly formed governing Council as well as the city's administration. Combining these factors made it one of the busiest locations in Tristain.

Anyone interested in doing a spot of 'Faery Spotting' could see members of every Race entering and exiting the Tower at all hours of the day and night. Workers and officials would disappear into the building for hours at a time to complete their shifts, couriers would scurry in and out for the few minutes necessary to drop off and pick up their packages, and travelling Fae would enter for the brief seconds needed to board the elevators to the roof, maximizing their flight time as they launched toward their destinations.

The Tower Roof was also familiar ground for a procession of Fae intent on entering the building. The main doors may have been located at street level, but to a flying functionary the Ceiling Hatch across from the elevators was a much more convenient entry point for those headed to the offices on the upper floors.

On this day, however, the usual smooth pattern of ingress and egress was disturbed by several knots of watchers standing stationary upon the roof. Drawn by the rumors that had recently begun to circulate through the Capital, they were using the extra height to full advantage - heads tilted back, Perception skill fully focused as they scanned the vista above them.

Among these groups one trio in particular stood out due to its unique composition – the Sylph Countess dressed in verdant green, a slim young Spriggan clothed in deepest black, and a chestnut-haired Maeve with her white wings projecting idly from her back. They had just finished meeting with one of the Fae's key Information Brokers, and had made the detour to the top of the Tower to confirm the hint that she had dropped at the end of the session.

"Have you spotted it yet, Kirito?" asked Asuna, banking on the Spriggan's sixth sense to spy out the high-quality ingredient before anyone else.

"Not yet, but it has to be there somewhere. Argo confirmed the rumor – and you know that she would never confirm it unless it was true."

Above them the World Tree dwarfed Arrun Tower, the green and golden trunk fading to a silvery grey as it pierced the heavens. Craning his neck, Kirito was determined to find the elusive target.

"There!" he called out triumphantly.

Asuna immediately checked where he was pointing. Scanning to the east, a flicker of color caught her attention. At the limits of her Perception she could just make out a tiny orangey-yellow dot. Beyond the trio the claim spread swiftly across the rooftop, and within a second or two over twenty pairs of keen Faerie eyes were trained towards the indicated bearing.

"You're sure that's it?" asked Sakyua. No matter how much she concentrated, she couldn't make out anything more than a dark speck against the translucent green leaves.

Raising her right hand, she incanted a short spell. Glowing runes formed quickly before dispersing, replaced by a short spout of water that gushed up between her hands. Wind Magic caught the water immediately, freezing it to form a flat crystal.

Kirito had turned swiftly to face her as she commenced her chant. "Ahh - viewing magic. What can you see?"

Through the magical lens, Sakuya could make out… an orange fruit hanging from one of Yggdrasil's lower branches. "It appears that Yggdrasil truly is bearing a fruit. And given the distance… it must be at least the size of a house!"

Chanting again, she passed a second Viewing Lens to Kirito.

Asuna, with her skill in languages and some brief coaching from the Sylph Lord, soon conjured up a Lens of her own.

"So… a yellowish-orange fruit, slightly bell shaped… round, dark green leaves…" reported Asuna.

"There's no doubt about it. It's a Giant Kumquat."

"A kumquat?" queried Sakuya.

"I'm sure of it." Asuna confirmed in certain tones. "It's almost ripe. If it really is that big, we could make plenty of food with it…"

She imagined the production line that they could set up with such a large ingredient - jar after jar of kumquat marmalade, kumquat jellies, her own special salad recipe… and a little extra set aside as a garnish for tea… there might even be enough to earn some money exporting kumquat preserves as a luxury item to the gourmands throughout Tristain!

Her vivid imaginings were interrupted by Sakuya's questioning voice.

"I thought that kumquats weren't introduced to Europe until at least the 19th century?"

As an amateur history buff, it was amazing how many pieces of stray trivia Sakuya had stored in her brain. Most were irrelevant to their current situation, but every now and then the irrelevant would suddenly become relevant once more.

Kirito stopped drooling, his focus on the citrus fruit sharpening still further. "So if we can get to it, we could use the seeds to cultivate our own orchard right now? And if we don't, it could be years before we could import it?"

"Years at very least," replied Sakyua, "and that's if they exist in this World at all. It's a shame that it's stuck behind Yggdrasil's Shield."

"There must be a way…" Kirito muttered. He could almost taste the culinary delights that Asuna would be able to create from it. His features took on an odd twist at the thought of losing such a priceless opportunity.

_That's what he looks like when he's determined to find a solution, _thought Asuna_._ _I hope he doesn't come up with anything too outlandish... _

"Well, if you come up with anything, let me know," the Maeve replied. "I'm sure that Leafa and Yui will want to join in if we decide to launch a Kumquat Crusade!"

Later that evening the sounds of warm comradeship could be heard within the Kirigaya residence. Tabitha had responded to Silica's invitation, and Asuna had put on one of her marvelous spreads as a welcoming gesture for their Halkegenian guest. Somehow Klein had also caught wind of the banquet, and had invited himself along as well.

After the meal Kirito had politely excused himself to do some 'vital research'. In his absence, the remaining guests had all congregated in the parlor.

Deeply ensconced in a comfortable armchair, Asuna looked to be at peace with the world. Her daughter Yui was sprawled across her lap, feet dangling over the armrest, head resting in the crook of her Mama's arm. Yui smiled warmly as a maternal hand glided softly over her dark hair.

The quiet bluenette was seated cross legged in front of the glowing red fireplace, open book in her lap, listening closely as Silica prattled on about their shared literary experience.

Between them, Leafa had commandeered the entire lounge. She had also thwarted Klein's attempt to take over Kirito's rocking chair, her wide eyes and quivering lip forcing the Salamander to give up and take the unpadded wooden chair next to Asuna instead.

The look of pleased vindication that she sent towards him after he had settled on the unforgiving wood was enough to reveal that he had been conned once again, and this time he even had to stifle his curses to spare the young ears around him.

Behind them, Silica's partner Pina was comfortably perched upon a hat rack, the small, light-blue feathered dragon curled up around the central strut with her head buried beneath her fluffy tail.

"…so, which of the characters did you like the best?" Silica asked Tabitha.

"…cat…" came the soft, monosyllabic reply.

"Oh, the Cheshire Cat. He's one of my favorites too. I also liked the Hatter – he's so mad that I think he must have been puffing on the Caterpillar's hookah."

Silica paused, her voice becoming more serious.

"Speaking of drugs, you'll never guess what happened to me last week. I bought some pastries from this weird old man, and he also gave me a pouch of green grains – I think he called them 'crystallized crocodile tongues'. He said that if I added water to them and drank it then I'd have an 'unbelievable' experience.

I tried to take them to a street patroller, but I tripped on one of Yggrdrasil's roots and spilled them all over it. I told a member of the City Watch about it, but the officer, I think his name was Vakarian-san, said that if I didn't have any evidence I was wasting his time.

Are 'crocodile tounges' a common drug in Tristain, Tabitha?"

"… not common … " came the brief reply. "… need research…"

Overhearing the conversation, Asuna suddenly started to link the story together with her own experiences that morning. Some of the key words had sparked a memory from her childhood, just like the Wizard of Oz Quest that she had completed with Kirito after starting their honeymoon in SAO.

"Silica… did you say 'crocodile tongues'?"

"Yes."

"And you spilled them onto Yggdrasil?"

"That's right," she said, embarrassed at her clumsiness.

Asuna sighed.

"And this all occurred a week before the rumors started about the Yggdrasil's Giant Fruit?"

"Y…es, I suppose so. Does it really matter though?"

"So that's what happened," Asuna softly exhaled. "They weren't drugs, Silica. At least, not any sort that you'd find in the real world. I think they must have been a left-over quest item from ALO."

"But… what were they supposed to do?"

"If you took them as indicated, I suppose they might have given you a boost to your luck stat. Spilling them onto a plant, though… did you ever read James and the Giant Peach? Or see the movie?"

Silica hadn't, but from the clues Asuna had been leaving, she was starting to get the picture. Poking her fingers together nervously, she admitted her uncertainty to her host.

"When James spilled the crocodile tongues onto a tree, a peach the size of a house grew on it overnight. I suppose that here in the real world it took a week to grow to a similar size – and it's a kumquat, not a peach. Yggdrasil is certainly magical enough, and big enough, to support a fruit of such extraordinary size."

Silence fell as Silica looked at the ground once more.

"So that's what happened!" snapped a loud voice from the corner of the room, startling everyone in the parlor.

Silica had jumped to her feet, Asuna jerked upright, dislodging Yui in the process, while Klein twisted around, his hand grasping instinctively at the air where the hilt of his Katana usually sat. Even Leafa, dozing on the couch, sat up at the unexpected sound. Tabitha was the only one who didn't seem to react, but very little ever seemed to faze the young Chevalier.

Pina flew off the coat rack where she was perched, landing on Silica's shoulder and hissing at Kirito, who was sitting beside them his rocking chair.

"Kyah!" said the feathery dragon.

"I wish he'd stop doing that too, Pina," Silica replied.

"How long have you been sitting there, Kirito?" asked Asuna.

"Oh, only about an hour or so."

They all stared at him in amazement.

Slouched in his chair, the lean Spriggan's nonchalant posture was offset by the smug look on his face as his Hiding Mastery caught them all off guard once more.

"It's a good thing that you dropped those grains, Silica – otherwise who knows when we would have had an opportunity to introduce kumquats to Tristain?

My preparations have 'borne fruit' too. I propose a Food Raid tomorrow – and you're all invited to join me."

"But how will we get past the World Tree's Shield?" asked Leafa, nonplussed.

"Don't worry about that, I've got an idea…. you'll see tomorrow if you decide to come along."

"Onii-san, I know we can avoid the Shield, but I don't think that the seven of us will be enough to take on the World Tree Guardians. Not even if you rope Kimura and his cannons into helping out too. I don't think that the Faerie Council will want to organize another World Tree Raid so soon after Dunkirk, either."

"Na-ah." Kirito replied. "That's not my idea."

"But the only other way is to go through the Shield, and if you bring that down… the official ALO website said that there are Field Bosses guarding the upper branches of Yggdrasil. If there's no Shield, they could start raiding Arrun. Won't that be like opening Pandora's floodgate of worms?"

"I'm not planning to bring down the Shield, either. Just… poke it a bit."

"Hehehe, if Kirito has a plan, I'm sure it'll be as easy as taking candy from a baby," Klein interjected.

"Umm, Klein… have you ever actually_ tried_ to take candy from a baby?" asked Silica.

A frown came over Klein's face as he imagined himself doing this… and the inevitable aftermath.

"Well, at least I didn't say 'what could possibly go wrong?' "

"Arrgg! You just _said_ it!" Leafa glared before trying to dope-slap the Salamander over his head.

"Hey, don't touch the Bandana of Asskicking!" Klein squeaked, raising his arms to bat away her hands while leaning away from her. Unfortunately, in doing so he overbalanced, toppling off his chair and landing with a yelp on top of the bluenette sitting on the floor beside him.

Tabitha barely shifted as her book, Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There was knocked right out of her hands. Her eyes traced its path unblinkingly as it tumbled to the floor, the pages fluttering closed.

Her gaze shifted to the Faerie head now resting on her lap.

"Book . . . " she looked directly in Klein's eyes " . . . lost place."

Her hand crept towards her staff, which she had propped up beside the Asuna's armchair.

She whispered one more word to him.

"... run ..."

A brief glimpse into those gimlet eyes, and Klein didn't need to be told twice.

A loud red flash exited the townhouse, followed closely by an almost silent blue one. Kirito's last instructions floated out behind them.

"Meet up here at ten tomorrow – we'll start the Food Hunt after lunch!"

**xxxxxxxxxx**

The next day, the first part of Kirito's plan was revealed. At the back of the Kirigaya townhouse, armored!Tonkii's giant frame hovered over the garden. Half of his slim white tentacles dangled onto the ground, while the other half were curled up beneath him clasping the cross-braces of the copper lightning guides.

Tabitha sat quietly nearby, already mounted on her wind dragon Sylphid.

After a brief "Kyuii!" in greeting and a responsive "Kwooo-on" in reply, the two beasts had settled in peacefully together. Fortunately, Asuna had met Sylphid the previous day, allowing her to tune out the sound which in Albion had been nothing less than a signal that her nemesis Sir Dunwell was approaching.

"Oh. So that's how we'll make it all the way up to the kumquat," said Leafa. "Are you sure we'll be able to get through the Barrier, though?"

"It's not 100%, but I'm pretty sure it'll work. We'll find out soon enough!" replied Kirito. "Ready to go, Tonkii?" he asked.

"Hyuruhyuru!"

One by one Tonkii's trunk snaked out, lifting each of the Faeries in turn onto his back.

"Tabitha?"

Tabitha tightened the straps of her saddle, ready to hover in a covering position beside them.

"… ready …"

Finally, the Raid Party was set. Klein stood closest to Tonkii's head, with Leafa right beside him. Behind them, Yui stood next to Asuna, while Kirito and Silica took up their positions at the rear. Pina was currently sitting atop Sylphid's head, waiting for the signal to fly.

"You're lucky that I thought ahead. I knew that Kirito would find some way to launch us to our destination," said the Salamander.

He paused, then handed Yui a Puca music bottle.

"Here, Yui. You're our designated conductor today. Open this up when the time's right - I need both of my hands free for this."

Drawing his katana, Klein took up an absurdly heroic pose.

"Everyone, ready for the countdown? Three, two, one – 'Tonkii… _launch_!' "

"Byurururu?" came the confused reply.

"You've got all the class of an orangutan," snarked the Sylph standing beside him. "I'll show you how it's done."

"Yip Yip, Tonkii!" she shouted at the giant drooping ears in front of her.

As the eight giant white wings started to stretch and vibrate, Klein kept his sword pointed rigidly towards their destination.

"Now, Yui!" he shouted.

The strains of his chosen theme surrounded them as Armored War Tonkii launched towards Yggdrasil.

**xxxxxxxxxx**

The World Tree was enormously tall. Its branches, festooned with translucent green leaves, spread out far and wide in equal proportion. In order to contain them all, the Spherical Shield swept well down the Trunk, locking against it at an altitude only a little higher than the top of Arrun Tower.

Klein's chosen theme was still playing strongly when Tonkii's outstretched trunk brushed against it.

Descending a few mails, Tonkii crooned a warbling "Oo-oo-oown" as he hovered just below it.

"What now?" asked Asuna.

"Leave it to me."

Edging towards Tonkii's head, Kirito hastily motioned for Yui to re-cap the bottle, putting the music on hold so he wouldn't have to shout over the top of it. He directed his next comment to their transport.

"OK, Tonkii, remember what we discussed last night?" It's time to do what you did right before Leafa and I flew with you for the very first time."

"Whenever you're ready… GO!"

With an understanding croon, Tonkii's wings began to glow, white light shooting across his body accompanied by a high-pitched resonance.

"_Dispel… Field!"_ yelled Kirito, identifying the Special Ability that only high-level Boss Monsters possessed.

Tonkii glided slowly upwards, the light stretching out like a spiral minaret, guided by his wings towards the Barrier above.

"Kwwwaa..."

Tonkii's call echoed as the rings of spiraling, pulsing light impacted on the Barrier. Disabling magic strong enough to nullify even the most high-powered Fae spells was focused down on a singular point upon Yggdrasil's massive Shield. Following the transition, there was no longer such a thing as an Immortal Object. The shield might be stronger than any Magic produced by an ordinary Fae, but with the power of one of ALO's strongest bosses localized within such a small area…

The Shield shimmered, a small arc gradually losing coherence and dissolving into mist as ring after ring of white light buffeted it. A minute later a gap 20 mails wide had been drilled into the formerly inviolate Barrier.

Tonkii issued a cry of victory, flapping four of his wings and easing himself through the hole, followed closely by Sylphid and Pina. Behind them, the gap in the Shield slowly resealed itself.

"Nice job!" yelled Klein, "Now, let's get that music playing again!"

Deep within Arrun, Bishop suddenly looked up from the book that she had been perusing in the bowels of Arrun's Central Library.

She parted her hands in front of her, unconsciously speed-incanting a complex spell intermixing both Darkness and Wind magic.

Water and Starlight rushed from her hands in equal measure, swirling together to form a broad black crystal that sparked with a tracery of silvery lights. Peering into the crystal, she pondered the sight before her.

"A breach in the Shield? And what is that orange monstrosity doing attached to _my Tree_?!"

Closing her eyes she relaxed, communing with Yggdrasil.

On a branch near the very top of the World Tree, a pair of large, glowing amber eyes fluttered open.

The Tree's guardian had awakened.

**xxxxxxxxxx**

Eight white wings vibrated strongly, keening like strings on a cello as Tonkii the armored beast lifted its passengers toward the branches of Yggdrasil.

Silica, formerly a Dragon Tamer in the death game of SAO and now a trusted Fae Courier in the world of Halkegenia, kept her balance on Tonkii's back as she peered towards their destination. Her Cait Syth vision, the sharpest of all the Faerie races, could just make out the splash of orange that marked their objective.

Having pierced the World Tree's Altitude Barrier with a Boss level Dispel Magic field, Tonkii had cleared the path for her friends to reach the giant fruit that had germinated after she accidentally spilt a pouch of magic crystals on one of Yggdrasil's roots.

Fortunately, her friends had treated her clumsiness as a boon instead of a blooper. Given their recent displacement, supplies of extra food and seeds for non-native Kumquat plants were valuable commodities for her fellow ALO players, and her friends were keen to collect the bounty hanging above.

Her trusted comrades rode with her, keeping their own wings well rested. The Salamander Klein stood tall atop Tonkii's head, his hand resting on the hilt of his katana. Close behind were their friends from SAO, the Spriggan Kirito and his Maeve wife Asuna. The Black Swordsman and the White Flash had gradually edged forward, eyes gleaming as they used their Perception skill to study the distant fruit.

Slightly to their rear, the Sylph magic swordswoman Leafa, Kirito's younger sister, was holding the hand of their adopted daughter Yui. Yui's other hand held a delicate aqua Music Bottle as it gave out a few last sparkles, the final strains of Klein's Launch Music fading away as the melody came to an end.

One of Silica's newer friends, the Gallian knight Tabitha, closed in on the back of her own familiar, a blue wind dragon named Sylphid.

"Fruit?" asked the dragon rider.

"That way" Silica pointed, squinting at the giant Kumquat as she engaged her own Perception skill.

One of the white elephant-isopod's three sets of black eyes shifted to keep track of Sylphid while another set looked in the direction Silica had just indicated.

"Kwoo-oo-on!"

"Is Sylphid having any trouble keeping up?"

"Kyuuu-ii!" came the swift denial from the wind dragon herself.

They continued to rise as Leafa gently stroked their mount's long, supple white fur.

As they ascended the wind picked up, swirling around the World Tree's trunk. The Fae were built to withstand the cold of high altitude, but any exposed skin would still feel the chill bite of the wind. Silica was happy with the comfort that Pina's very existence brought her, but at that moment her happiness was amplified by the warmth that came from having a feathery dragon perched on her head and two long blue tail feathers draped scarf-like around her neck.

Tonkii's wings continued to flutter in waves as their flight path flattened out, curving gently towards the east. As they approached, the orange fruit started to take form, peeking out from behind the obscuring leaves.

"Wow..." Silica couldn't help but exclaim.

She gazed upon the beautiful ripening fruit as it loomed closer. A real fruit… the size of a house.

A _big_ house.

Subconsciously she made the motion to open up her menu to take a screenshot, before recalling that this was all _real_ now.

A fey mood came over her – joy and sorrow, amazement and melancholy, freedom and loss, all mixed together to form a feeling of wonder.

The small, blue dragon cooed as her master's hand dipped into a pocket to offer her a peanut.

Silica had entered SAO when she was only twelve, and had fought through both nervousness and crushing fear during her time in Aincrad. Pina had protected her since they had first met on the 8th Floor of the floating castle, and with Kirito's help, they had both survived.

With Pina at her side, she had gained the confidence to act as a bastion of calm when the Transition had hit.

So why had her nervousness suddenly returned?

Pina stroked her cheek with her head as she purred on her shoulder.

"Ah! I-I'm sorry, Pina, it's just, something seems a little off…"

Pina raised her head, red eyes scanning around them before suddenly bolting upright, neck stretched out as she focused on the branches in the distance in front of them.

"Kyururu!"

"What!" Silica focused her own attention at the same spot, before tugging on Leafa's jacket as Kirito and Asuna looked back at the commotion.

"Over there! Those black spots on the branches, they're not a pattern, they're moving! They must be some type of Mob!"

Kirito raised his hand, as Leafa asked Tonkii to come to a stop, hovering in place.

"Oh! I see them, they look like some sort of insect. They're probably part of the Quest. If they're like the insects from James and the Giant Peach, then they might be friendly," suggested the Spriggan.

"Or, since Cardinal placed them in ALO, they might be there for PvE," responded Asuna.

Taking charge, the former Sub-Commander of the Knights of Blood set out their strategy.

"Kirito and I will approach first. Klein, hover above us as our backup. If they're hostile, send a few flames their way then dive in. Tabitha, head out to the right so you have a clear shot it you need it. You're our sniper. Yui, stay with Tonkii. Leafa, you're our reserve. Keep a close eye out for any flanking movements, and don't forget to look above and below as well. Silica -" Asuna paused, uncertain what role to give the Cait girl. Certainly she was experienced in battle, but she hadn't been on Aincrad's Front Lines, and she was still young...

"Ah, Asuna, I can stay with Yui and act as Support. My Music Skill is high enough to play some pretty good buffs…"

"Oh. Okay, that's fine. Tonkii… your lightning works wonders against targets on the ground, but in the air it's as likely to strike us as it is to hit our foes. Please stay back, and if anything approaches Yui, poke it with one of your tentacles zap it. Everyone, get ready!"

Faerie wings stretched out, luminous in the sunlight, as the team took up their positions. Just like a proper Raid.

At Asuna's order, the lead group flew towards the Giant Fruit.

As they approached, Kirito's ears picked up a high-pitched buzz. A few seconds later, the noise escalated in a quick angry crescendo, a warning if ever he had heard one.

"Asuna…"

"Yes. That doesn't sound like a happy reception."

Kirito looked longingly at the fruit.

"It looks so ripe…"

"Don't be greedy, Kirito-kun. We can come back later with a bigger raid group. For now, we should retrea –"

Together, their eyes were drawn to movement as a swarm of man-sized flying insects covered in black chitinous armor launched from branches towards them.

"Too late!"

With a quick glance at Kirito, she unsheathed her sword, while backing away to give him more room to maneuver.

"Silica! Now would be a good time for that buff music!"

On Tonkii's back, Silica had her piccolo ready, the memory of well practiced music running towards her fingers, Pina circling above protectively.

"Pina, please help Kirito! Use your «Bubble Breath» to help keep him safe."

She took a final breath, then sounded the start of her Flight Buff, a song to increase the speed, maneuverability, and flight time of the Faeries in her party.

Leafa hovered a few mails in front of them, ready to cast her own healing or shield spells in their defense.

"Yui, aren't you going to change into a pixie to hide?"

"I can help too! I'll sing while Silica plays."

Recalling the last time they had fought together, when the nav-pixie had been snatched from Louise's pocket without anyone noticing, Leafa quickly reconsidered.

"OK. If I tell you to change, though, you'll do it immediately. Right?"

"Yes Aunt Sugu," agreed the young AI.

"Kirito, Asuna – Good Luck!"

**xxxxxxxxxx**

The black Wind Wetas launched from the branch in flights of three, aiming to overwhelm the Faeries in front of them.

In response Kirito and Asuna appeared to kick off from space, their wings thrumming powerfully as they accelerated towards the leading trios.

"Waaait for meeee!" came the plaintive cry of a Salamander.

A fireball, Klein's strongest (and only) homing spell, flew like a roman candle towards a group of insects, exploding as it struck. The smell of formic acid and charred insect wafted up as the injured bugs broke formation, staggering back before circling towards safety.

On the other side, Tabitha drew her focus and called forth a string of high speed icicles, bracketing the insects and causing them to close their formation.

Leafa launched a slew of green wind shrikes into the centre of the bunch, shredding wings and shattering chitin, a spray of shrapnel that caused additional damage. Several of the Wind Wetas caromed into each other, unable to maintain stable flight on damaged wings.

A trio of silver throwing picks traced the distance between them as Kirito closed on next closest flight, lodging in a compound eye and causing the lead enemy to break off.

Then, the Fae duo struck like thunderbolts.

Dual swords clashed with insect arms ridged with hardened spikes of sharp chitin. Sparks flew as the high level Fae alloy was deflected by the defending blades. A quick spin, and the Spriggan darted behind his challengers, blade licking out to sever a wing on either side. Beside him, Asuna's sword darted forward like lightning, piercing eyes, joints and antennae with masterful precision.

They had not had long to practice aerial combat, but with the strains of buff music heightening their skills they had the ability to both out turn and out pace the enemy.

"Aim for the Wings!" came Asuna's cry, as it quickly became apparent where the Wind Wetas main weakness lay.

Klein slammed into the battle, guarding Asuna's flank as Kirito sheathed one of his swords, twirling another twelve centimeter pick into his hand before releasing it in time to strike at the wing base of another insect closing in on Klein from behind.

Leafa kept her sword sheathed too, using high powered single target wind blades to slice through any insects that threatened to ignore the melee and break through to the rear.

Pina did her own part, darting between Leafa and the front line, sending forth a spray of colored bubbles that caused havoc for the attacking insects, striking limbs, paralyzing wings, and causing momentary confusion whenever they struck a head. Wherever her bubbles flew, insects soon plummeted towards the Barrier below.

After a few more moments of furious skirmishing, the aerial battle reached stalemate.

With their initial charge stalled, the Wind Wetas backed off, returning to their haunts and taking up positions before the giant fruit, hiding from the Raid team's ranged attacks behind the nigh impregnable Yggdrasil leaves. Several of the insect teams crawled along the branches, ready to harry the Fae from widely dispersed directions if they continued to approach.

**xxxxxxxxxx**

Over the next minute, the Faerie team gradually pulled back, disengaging from the fight.

Kirito, Asuna and Klein returned to Tonkii, resting their wings as Leafa and Tabitha kept their foci pointed towards the insects.

Silica let her buff music lapse, preserving her mana as they retreated. Pina and Sylphid fell into formation in front of Tonkii, ready to head off any final sallies.

Suddenly, the angry buzzing went silent.

As the Faeries looked questioningly at each other, Pina chirruped, before fleeing behind Tabitha…

"Wait, what's wrong, Pina?"

Silica had highly developed Familiar Communication skills even before she had started training in Halkegenia. This time, however, it seemed that her skills were not needed. A pair of Tonkii's eyes widened comically, and beast swiveled around.

"Yrrruu-?"

Facing them, bronze wings spread wide, a mighty dragon spiraled down from above. Ember-bright eyes caught each of them in turn as if testing their souls. Silica, recognizing the Mob from KoKo's descriptions, took a sharp breath.

"It-it's M-m-m-eg… Tonkii, I th-think it's time t-to go."

"Meg?" asked Tabitha, uncertainly.

"Ah," Silica tried to stop her stutter "M-Megelaar… the Dragon who Guards the Tree"

**xxxxxxxxxx**

Megelaar, the newly woken Dragon, glided down towards the Incident. He glanced towards the Faeries.

_Insignificant._

The Jotunheimr Guardian was a different matter, but it seemed to be keeping its distance.

The Faeries were inconsequential. Such trivial beings, with their lesser intellect and their lesser magic. Megelarr cared nothing for such unimportant beings. What mattered to him, was the health of his Tree, the Source from which the world of ALfheim sprung.

With a beat of his wings, the Bronze Dragon glided over the top of the Fae, disregarding them the same way that he disregarded the Wind Wetas that suddenly sprung up in his path.

With a negligent wave of a wing, winds buffeted the insects aside, batting them from his path.

**xxxxxxxxxx**

Before Tonkii could move, the Dragon's shadow passed over them.

The Raid team paused as the majestic beast gained pace, bowling the insects out of the way before slashing towards the giant fruit.

Kirito sighed.

"Well, I suppose a creature as big as that needs to get food from somewhere."

A moment later, he watched in surprise as Megelaar ignored the fruit itself, latched on instead to the stem, clamping down with powerful jaws and claws, rending the wood, sawing, cutting, slicing through until the connection was severed and the alien fruit departed from the Tree.

A moment later, it became apparent that the Dragon had no interest in chasing the Fruit any further.

"Everyone AFTER IT!" shouted Kirito, diving down in a desperate bid to save the plummeting Kumquat.

"Ki-ri-tooo!" came the cry from the rest of the Fae. The word was the same, but the inflections were rather different. Exasperation from Asuna, a plaintive cry from Leafa, surprise from Silica, and a call to battle from Klein.

A fraction of a second later, Tonkii added his own war cry, an ululating "Yurururuu!" as he dived after the speeding Spriggan, his passengers hanging on to his fur with all their strength.

"Aaaaaahhhhhhhhh!"

Kirito made it first, grabbing hold of the stem, wings brightening to full capacity as he tried to slow its descent. Tonkii was next, tentacles wrapping round the leafy stalk with a playful "Kwoo-n!" as he joined in the game.

"Everyone HELP PUU-ULL!" shouted the Spriggan, in his crazed effort to save the fruit from an ignominious end.

The fruit slowed, but not enough.

"We're not strong enough, Nii-chan!" shouted Leafa.

"We need a buff! Silica, we're counting on you!"

With Kirito's eyes pleading with her to do her best, Silica let go of the Kumquat and pulled out her piccolo from its pouch. Closing her eyes, she let another melody flow through her, this one faster paced, aimed at increasing the thrust of their Wings.

With the light from their wings intensifying, the Fruit finally slowed.

"Wwoooo-hhooooo!" shouted the Spriggan gleefully as they dropped through the one-way Altitude Barrier, landing the Kumquat successfully at the edge of the Central Markets.

"God Job everyone!" praised Asuna in relief, as Yui clapped her hands and everyone cheered.

"I'm really glad! We saved the Kumquat – that means good things for dinner tonight!"

**xxxxxxxxxx**

Later that night, the Kirigaya home was full. Sakuya and the other Fae-Lords-in-residence had joined them for one of Asuna's marvelous banquets, complete with Kumquat Salad.

Tabitha cleared off her fifth serving of the dish, ignoring the astonished looks on Silica and Leafa's faces.

Klein grabbed a mug of Sunshine Mead, sitting down next to Kirito in the backyard, a contented smile on his face.

"So, they nationalized the Kumquat?"

"Wasn't much else they could do with it. None of us could have used a fraction of it, and this way, they can mobilize enough workers to get a temporary jam factory up and running.

Kirito lowered his voice, a smile of satisfaction creeping over his features.

"Anyway, I made a deal with Sakuya and Rute. In return for using Asuna's recipe, we get a percentage of all the proceeds, and they'll keep the source of the recipe secret. I couldn't have asked for anything more!"

Snuggled up beside her father, Yui raised her head to whisper to Klein too.

"It was a fun adventure. Sometimes we're lucky that Papa's so greedy – if he wasn't, everyone would still be out helping clean up splattered Kumquat!"

**xxxxxxxxxx**

Silica sighed. The Great Kumquat Raid had been a complete success, but it had also led to a _lot_ of work.

The Tristanian mages had done their part, placing Preservation spells on the giant fruit to ensure it remained fresh while the Faerie gatherers rendered it into useable portions.

As a courier, Silica was exempt from that type of manual labor.

She had, however, been working equally hard, flying messages, trade samples and gifts of Kumquat condiments to nobles and merchants throughout the land. Not all the tasks had been chores, but they had all been draining.

Yesterday she had made the round trip to Goubniu and TauTona.

Along with the regular satchels of reports and missives from the Arrun City Council to the Offices of the Leprechaun and Gnome Mayors, she had also carried a pack full of the makings of Kumquat Tea. Everyone wanted a chance to sample a taste of home, and the industrious Leprechauns were willing to pay top Yurudo to have fresh supplies delivered to them every morning. As a final touch, Asuna had also provided her with a plate of one of her new Kumquat compositions to deliver to Liz.

It was certainly tempting, but in the end Silica had ignored the urge to sample the dish before passing it on. Liz, however, had been much less reserved. She had fallen upon the meal as soon as it was in her hands, chowing down ravenously right in front of Pina. Even worse, she hadn't even bothered to offer them a bite!

She had, however, offered to write Silica an 800 word essay about the taste - something she had no doubt learned from her crotchety master Kofu. Although it might have been a ploy she had learned from Agil instead… take the spoils, then pretend you're a simpleton by making an outrageous offer in reparation…

Her time in TauTona had been equally busy, delivering high quality, low volume reagents culled from Mobs that spawned near Goubniu. After dropping them off she had received several bottles from the Bronze Orb's proprietor to bring back with her to Arrun Tower. Several of the highly placed workers at the Tower had apparently developed a fondness for the specialized Gnome brews.

Finally, she had gotten back to her own bed just after midnight.

The next morning she put her foot down. A week had passed, and it was time for her to take a break!

And that was the nub of the problem. Her one day off that week… and it was raining.

*Sigh*

Standing in the kitchen, she leaned on the bench beside the sink, looking out at the raindrops drenching the back garden.

"So Silica – how was Liz? Did she like my dish?"

"Of course! No one else can cook like you, Asuna. She even gave me this to give to you!"

Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a crumpled piece of paper.

She may not have been trained by Agil, but her father Tetsuhiko had once told her that one should never refuse something that is offered for free.

"Umm… what's that?"

"It's the report Liz wrote for you about the taste! She grumbled a lot – hah! Said it reminded her of homework, but she really wanted to make sure she recorded her impressions about the meal!"

"Ah – so what's she doing now? Learning more about swordmaking?" asked Asuna, smoothing out the paper to read its contents.

"Err, not really. Apparently she had to go back to Agil for remedial lessons. She tried to win another coup over the Mages, but when she asked them how much they would charge to cast Preservation over a single piece of fruit, they laughed at her and told her if she brought it to them they'd do it for free. Of course, she couldn't do it, and when they realized what she was trying to pull, they almost added a surcharge! If I hadn't been there to remind them that Faeries are supposed to try to trick humans, who knows what they would have charged! Agil was really annoyed when he heard about what she tried to pull, though."

Asuna looked at her for a moment, before a snicker made it threw her lips.

Within seconds, the two of them were laughing uproariously at Liz's antics.

"That girl!" haha-hahaha *draws breath* ha "I don't think she'll ever stop trying to outdo her mentor!"

"Thanks for making her give me the feedback, Silica. It's always nice to know what I did right, so I can improve on bits that she doesn't talk about!"

With that remark, Silica was reminded once again that Asuna was one of the sharpest people she knew.

_I'll have to remind Liz never to try and put a fast one on her. If she doesn't know that already…_

**xxxxxxxxxx**

As the morning progressed, Silica finally found reason to venture out into the garden. It was still drizzling, but when a bedraggled looking friend descends upon your yard, you really do need to say hello to them, even if they're not coming inside.

"Oo-oo-oown" came the soft, bass cry.

"AH! Tonkii-san! What are you doing out here in the rain?"

"Ubyrho? …kwooo- ruuu!"

"Oh! You wanted to visit, and it wasn't raining when you left home?" Silica was puzzled by this for a moment. It had been raining constantly since before she had woken that morning. Then she realized that Tonkii's 'home' was an underground cavern.

"You poor thing! I bet you've never experienced rain before in your life! Here, let me take those lightning conductors for you. I bet they're pretty cold to hold onto in this sort of weather!"

"Kuooo-n."

The furry flying beast handed the copper rods to her one at a time, and she quickly stacked them under cover just inside the kitchen door.

Tonkii looked on with sad eyes, wings dripping water, trunk drooping, and soft white fur matting down in odd tufts due to the rain.

He looked oddly cute.

"Awww, just look at you. You look like you could do with a hug."

Turning around, Silica spotted the person she was after helping her mother make lunch.

"Come on, Yui! I need your help to give Tonkii a big hug!"

"Umm, is that alright, Mama?" the young AI asked her mother.

"Of course, Yui. Just make sure you go dry off as soon as you come back inside."

Together, the two young girls approached the beast. While Yui wrapped her arms around his trunk, Silica spread her own arms as wide as they would go, and pressed against the hug beast's side.

"Thanks for coming over, Tonkii."

"Byururuyyyuu" rumbled the beast, in thanks.

After a minute or two, Yui released the hug, standing up on her tip toes to stroke Tonkii's fur instead.

"You know, Silica, I have an idea of something we can do for Tonkii!"

"Wh- oh. What do you mean, Yui?"

"Well, he's not used to rain, and it's annoying when the drizzle gets in your eyes. And since Tonkii as three pairs of eyes…"

"Umm, it's not like we can make him a set of goggles, Yui."

"Well, how about a waterproof hat?" returned the younger girl in sensible tones.

"Oh! A hat!?" Silica turned the thought over in her mind. "But where can we get the right sort of fabric to make a Tonkii sized waterproof hat?"

"Ah… don't worry! I already know the answer to that!" with a skip and a jump, Yui darted back to the kitchen door.

"Mama!"

"Yes, Yui?"

"Is it OK if I go with Silica to the Kumquat? We'd like to get the leaf that's still stuck to the stem."

"Well… ahh… how will you get it back here, Yui?" asked Asuna, leaving aside for the moment the question of why a 10 year old girl would want a huge leaf.

"Umm… what about Papa? He's really strong! And he can use his sword to cut the leaf from the stem!"

With a hum, Asuna decided that Yui was certainly right about that.

"OK, Yui. Your papa's asleep on the rocking chair in the parlor, but you can go and wake him up. Tell him that lunch will be ready as soon as he comes back with the leaf."

With a huge smile, Yui ran in and hugged her mother too, before scooting off towards the parlor.

"Yui-chan!" her mother called after her in dismay, looking at the wet patches that she had left on both the floor and Asuna's skirt. "Oh well. I'll talk to her about tracking water through the house when she gets back."

**xxxxxxxxxx**

An hour later, Silica was putting her Sewing Skill to good use. She had leveled it up to 606 in SAO, and since her skills had carried over to ALO she now knew exactly how to create a hat for Tonkii.

With a deft touch, she used an Obsidian Dagger to cut the impossibly tough leaf like cloth, and a 12cm long Tungsten Throwing Pick of Kirito's to lace the thread through the pieces.

It was difficult work, but she was happy to put the effort in for a friend in need.

Another half hour and it was done, along with a second, smaller version that she had made from the leftover scraps.

Gathering up the Yggdrasil Leaf Hats, she plonked the smaller one on her head before carted the larger one out the back door towards the snoozing Tonkii.

"Tonkii-san! Wake up! I've got your hat ready for you!"

Unfortunately, Tonkii remained fast asleep.

"Well… if you're going to be like that!"

She carefully placed her hat on the ground alongside its larger brother, before crouching into her Stalking Mode. . .

"TICKLE ATTACK!"

With a flying leap, Silica vaulted onto the beast's back and began chivying the fur just behind Tonkii's big, floppy ears.

"YuruRurUrURU!"

With a trembling wiggle, Silica was almost dislodged. She quickly found her feet, just like a Cait, and with a quick, acrobatic vault she somersaulted straight over Tonkii's head, landing on her feet right in front of the beast.

With a sprightly wave, she grinned up at her newly awoken friend.

"Hi there, Tonkii-san!"

"Yrrrwiiiin?"

"Not yet! But I've finished your hat! It's just over there," she said, pointing to the large dark green object near the back of the house. The tricorn hat was almost a mail tall, and over two mails across. With careful movements, Tonkii picked it up with its trunk, before carefully positioning it on it's head at a rather rakish angle. It was just large enough that the brim could keep the water out of all six of its eyes.

"It looks perfect, Tonkii!"

Silica clapped her hands in praise.

She picked up her own version of the hat, and placed it on her own head at a matching angle.

"Now we look like twins! Let's go visit Arrun Home – I want to show Balandene and Rika how fashionable we both look, even in the rain!"

**xxxxxxxxxx**

The next day dawned clear and bright.

Clear enough, and bright enough, that the entire Kirigaya household was out in the morning sunshine preparing a plot in the back garden. Beneath the dewy grass the soil was loamy and moist, the absence of mud following the previous day's showers was proof enough that it was quite well-drained. With the Spring days lengthening towards Summer, it was the perfect time, and the perfect place, to cultivate some fruit.

Along the back wall of the garden, Asuna and Leafa were filling a line of pots with a mix of peat and soil leavened with some sand collected from the beach at Arrun Lake. In front of them, Kirito and Klein were busily tilling the soil in a two mail wide strip, heaping the dirt into a slight mound as they extended the plot in front of the pots.

Yui and Pina flitted between the kitchen and the garden under Silica's direction, planting kumquat seeds and dried watermelon pips in the pots and loam respectively.

"Good job, Yui-chan!" encouraged Silica as the pixie girl's arms disappeared into one of the inch deep holes that had been poked into the soil, laying a trio of watermelon seeds at the bottom. "Three seeds to each hole, four feet apart, just like the gardening book says!"

Pina scooped some soil over the top of the seeds, then smoothed the surface over with a brush of a dexterous wing. Yui then fluttered up to her, taking a seat on the feathery dragon's neck before the pair flew back to the house to collect their next batch of seeds.

A tranquil flute like "shyuru-shyurururu" sounded from above as the Faeries continued their planting.

On the other side of the garden Tonkii was relaxing in a gentle hover, hat in place, contentedly grazing away. A long tentacle snaked out to the surrounding shrubbery and plucked another flower to munch on. For the herbivorous giant the garden was the equivalent of a self-serve buffet, and it seemed that Tonkii was partial to the violet flowers in particular.

"Ah! It's hot!" exclaimed the Salamander, wiping his brow with his bandana as he finally completed the row.

Kirito looked at him askance. "Aren't Salamanders supposed to be immune to the heat?"

"Oi~, it's not the heat, it's the work!" Klein complained. "I can't work like this without getting hot… I need a drink."

"Byuru?" asked Tonkii, drawing everyone's attention. Asuna, who had just finished whispering in Tonkii's ear, nodded and turned away.

"Wait a sec…" said Klein, as Tonkii's trunk snuck into the full watering can that Asuna had left behind. "I don't need a drink that mu- arghh!"

His sentence ended in a yell of betrayal as the flying elephant-beast blasted him with a spray of water.

"Did that help cool you down?" asked Kirito, his mirth hidden within an artful innocence.

His sister broke down in laughter at the sight of the dripping Salamander. "Hey Klein, why don't you come over here? The seeds need to be watered, and if you stand right here you can drip right on top of them!"

"Respect," grumbled the Samurai as he pulled down his sleeves and started wringing them out. "What does a man need to do to get some respect around here?"

"Don't worry, Klein, it's almost lunch time," Silica consoled him. "Go dry off. I'm sure you and Kirito can get a drink while Yui and Leafa help Asuna prepare lunch. I'll look after Tonkii."

A silly grin came over the Salamander's face at the thought of his reward for a hard morning's work, and he dripped his way off towards the house.

"Mmm…" Kirito drooled, before joining him. "Sandwich-san awaits."

**xxxxxxxxxx**

As the other members of the household prepared for lunch, Silica decided on something different.

"Come on Tonkii, let's go exploring. Asuna, we'll be back in half an hour!"

Widening her stance, she took off with a quick salute and a rakish flap of her wings, an affectation that she and Yuuki had spent some time perfecting. When you worked as a courier, it was important to show the customers just what they were paying for!

A minute later, she reached the tall woods on the eastern side of the World Tree. The Mob Patrols ensured that the woods were free of vermin, making it perfect for playing a game or two.

"OK Tonkii, let's play hide and seek. Close your eyes, and Pina and I will go hide. Count to a hundred, then come find us!"

Instructions given, she waited a second for Tonkii affirmative "Kwoo-n!" before setting off to find a good place to hide.

Twenty minutes later they had all taken a turn to both hide and seek, with Tonkii winning handily. This was followed by an exhilarating game of tag, and this time Pina's remarkable mobility won the day. They had just enough time left for a brief break before they returned for lunch.

Silica watched on as Tonkii and Pina both rested. The grove where they had settled was festooned with similar violet flowers to those in the Kirigaya's garden. An idle tentacle reached out to snag another snack from the bushes.

Interest piqued, Silica looked around surreptitiously before plucking a flower for her own. She carefully checked to make sure that Lisbeth was nowhere in sight, then bit into it curiously.

Clearly, she was not an Elephant-Beast.

In the future, she would limit her culinary investigations to Asuna's experimental meals.

**xxxxxxxxxx**

After a wonderful supper and an evening spent talking in the parlor, everyone retreated to their beds for the night. Rather than return to her dorm room in Arrun Home, Silica had accepted Asuna's offer of one of the guest rooms. Luckily for her it was her favorite room in the entire house - the second floor bedroom overlooking the back yard.

Fluffing up the pillow, she snuggled into the bed, shifting slightly as Pina nuzzled into her side.

An hour later, Silica's ears twitched as she slowly surfaced from sleep.

*Yawwwnn*

The young Cait Syth stretched.

_What woke me up?_

Looking about the room, nothing seemed obviously amiss. Blue and red moonlight peppered the room, sprinkling through the leaves far above in a mismatch of conjoined color. Pina was still deeply asleep on the pillow beside her, breathing peacefully with a soft "kyururu… spee. . . kyururu... spee. . ."

Silica rolled off the edge of her bed lightly, landing on the rug on all fours just like a cat. A careful examination under the bed showed that the soot sprites had indeed departed, and no other mini-Mobs had taken their place.

Sitting up, a quizzical look crossed her face. Then, her ears twitched again. Wafting through the window came a soft noise, like a groan followed by a series of pops.

Silica gave Pina a gentle shake to wake her, then wended her way to the window on silent feet, feathery dragon draped on top of her head. Together, they peeped out over the sill.

There below them was an extraordinary sight.

In front of the newly planted seeds, Tonkii was bobbing up and down in an odd display, tentacles stretching and retracting as a soft green light shimmered from them in waves.

Beside the giant beast stood another barely met acquaintance, the chibi albino elephant she had first seen the day after she had helped out Leafa and Asuna. The albino chibi was mimicking its larger cousin, fur tipped white trunk curling up and down as it too stretched toward the air. It looked almost like a ritual to promote fertility…

*grooaaan*

Pop!

This time Silica was caught prepared, spotting the Kumquat tree as it sprouted from its pot.

So that's what was happening!

It couldn't be easy finding food in the frozen wastes of «Jotunheimr» - it made perfect sense that the Beast Gods would have some special magic to promote growth! They must use it to cause their food to sprout quickly so that the Ice Giants couldn't find and trample the crops as they grew.

Entranced, Silica watched on as citrus trees unfurled new leaves and watermelon vines sprouted from the ground. Asuna and Kirito would sure be surprised when they woke up the next morning!

Finally, the magic dissipated and Tonkii gave out a soft croon, eyes catching sight of the young Cait.

Silica allowed her yellow wings to spread, then glided down to the yard. With a grin, she selected the two largest watermelons.

Sitting on the back porch, she sliced them open so that they could all share, and set about making friends with the smaller elephant.

All in all, she couldn't have asked for anything more - good food, good friends, and good surprises all around. She still missed Japan, but every day in Arrun brought with it new experiences, challenges, and tests of character.

A sense of comfort stole over her. She missed her parents, she missed her pet cat, she even missed the instructors at school, but she was gradually becoming accustomed to her new home. And on days like this, when everything seemed just about perfect, that this new world was good enough.

It was, after all, a magical end to a magical day.


	36. an NPC - Confidence

_[Bishop-chan's notes - Now, we return to that quaint little garrison known as Fort De Bellegarde.]_

**Fort de Bellegarde - Confidence**  
**by _an NPC_**

**xxxxxxxxxx**

"You called for me, my captain?"

"... Mathieu. Thank you for coming."

The captain was slumped in the small, comfy leather chair in his office. Chaplain Mathieu noted how all of the windows were shut tight, the shutters drawn, leaving only a few of those odd Faerie lights lighting up the room, giving it this strange, unearthly glow. The captain's desk, usually packed to the brim with correspondence and strategic memos from high command lay unusually neat and orderly, with nary a scrap of paper to be seen.

"Captain, how may-"

"Just, forget rank right now, Mathieu. No need for formalities."

The chaplain could just barely make out the small lines underneath his eyes, just barely. Notices how he's holding a letter up. News?

"Cristophe. What is that?"

The captain laughs to himself, flapping the letter out at him, "This, Mathieu, is what I believe to be an omen. Tidings of unrest."

Mathieu hasn't seen the captain out and about since that speech. The one about loyalty, a few days ago. He noticed all the trays of half-finished food on his way in. The corner of the office dedicated to a small portrait was specially lit up, uncovered for the first time in Mathieu's memory. Looking closer at it, it seemed to be a portrait of a woman... he tries to put a face to it. He half-remembers the small talk, the drinking at the last Silver Pentecost, that elusive smile, that delicate face. His wife, Elise. The captain seldom talked of his family, especially his wife.

Why was it uncovered now, of all times?

"Cris, what... what is this, have you been sleeping in here again?"

"I don't know how to put this to you Mathieu," the captain mumbled, slowly got up and out of his chair. He is still in full uniform, unwashed for days, his wandsword sheathed and his mantle crumpled, "But it... it seems... we are at an impasse. Will you come with me for a moment, Mathieu?"

He unlocked the door to the balcony and gestured for the chaplain to follow him.

**xxxxxxxxxx**

"Cristophe, what's been on your mind these days?" the chaplain asks as they both leaned against the railings.

Below, they could see the lights, the flames of the torches, hear the gentle strings of one of the Fae musicians attached to their unit, echoing through the night. A few of the men patrol the walls, with bows and musket alike. The Faeries were still out and about, the tell-tale shimmering of their wings in the moonlight lazily casting across the skies. In the distance, you could see the foreboding presence of their calling to the continent, the World Tree as they called it. Even in the night, it seemed to have this quiet radiance unmatched by anything on this earth.

"Cris?"

"An honest question Mathieu. Have I failed as a leader?"

"Of course not, Cristophe! The men have nothing but the utmost respect for you. The Faeries as well, if that counts for anything."

"Good. We shall need their all of their faith and their trust in the days to come."

"Why do you consider such questions, my captain?"

Mathieu took a look at the man before him; Captain Lecarde, a noble of some repute and a young and untested Triangle mage. Cristophe the Torrent, known for his foul tempers and his devotion to the church. A man also known for his sudden and infrequent bouts of generosity and patience for the men under his command.

That was not the man before him now, brooding and in deep contemplation.

Before him was Cristophe Lecarde, his best friend of twenty three years, the insecure and nervous boy from the manor opposite the forest. The one who always came to church on time, who idolised the Heavy Wind's exploits and daring. The young man who joined up with a genuine dedication to serve his Queen and Country.

"What... what if this is a sign... from God, Mathieu?" Cristophe continued, "The World Tree, the Faeries? What if all this is a sign from God and the Founder? What other purpose does this treaty we are drafting serve but as a sign of their intent to bring humans and non-humans together... as allies?"

Mathieu swallowed, thinking hard to his training, "Well, they have not pledged to recognise the Church's doctrine as superior, but they have not tried to convert us to their ways... yet. That is good. Until we hear from His Holiness in Romalia, I think we are playing it by ear. If an alliance between Tristain and the Faeries is what the Founder and God decide for us here, then let it be so."

"What do you think?"

Mathieu stares blankly at him for a moment.

"Mathieu, what do you think about this Faerie business?" Cristophe mumbles,

"I... I would hope that they mean well. They are cooperative and civil, vexing at times, but otherwise amenable to the requests of the Crown. If they were to become Tristain's allies, we, we could benefit greatly. They are of a most pleasant disposition as well. I could think of worse allies to have."

The captain pushes the letter towards Mathieu, letting him examine it underneath the moonlight.

"Mathieu, I have gotten word from... a friend of mine in the Command staff. They say that it is very likely that we will be allied with the Faeries. They also speak of the... rumours."

One line in particular makes Mathieu's jaw drop, "... my God. Is this 'friend' of yours reliable?"

Cristophe stares deep and hard into Mathieu's eyes,

"Yes. More than reliable, Mathieu. Infallible. Tristain's alliance with Germania may be broken. We may be at war with Reconquista in the coming months.

What do I tell the men, all of them? They are to fight and die for their Queen and Country? They are to give their best? They're the sons of farmers, of craftsmen and the common man. Some of them don't know about the world beyond their town, nevermind matters of the countries around Tristain. They don't fight for a living, they have little training, limited equipment. Some can barely speak proper Gallian. And they are to be thrown towards the wolves of Albion?

They hear things, they see things.

I know the camp whispers of Tristain's inevitable downfall, that the coming storm of Reconquista is the Founder's will made manifest, sent to cleanse Tristain of the heresy we have committed in opening talks with the Faeries. And yet, the Faeries come at us with open arms, bearing many gifts. Many problems, but at the same time many gifts. They give us freely their soldiers and their craftsmen, teach us their ways of fighting and of living off the land. In less than one year, they have supported us and have done more for us than any other Brimiric nation has in over two decades.

These Faeries are going to be part of our future... h-have I been wrong about them? What, what if this is truly a sign from God? That Tristain would defy the Church and its teachings and embrace the Faeries. What if this means... that the Church has been... w-w-wr... inaccurate about matters of the faith? What do I tell them all, Mathieu? That our allies have forsaken us, that the White Isles descend upon Tristain for no reason than the greed of man? T-that everything the Founder has told them about the inhuman may be doubted? For God's sake. What should I say... What if the elves were truly acting in defence and not-"

The captain scrunches up the letter, "Heresy. I have committed **heresy**. I have sinned in these thoughts. Strike me down Father and Founder, for my soul is forfeit-"

The chaplain slaps the wandsword from his hands, sending it tumbling into the square underneath, "Cristophe! To simply think is not to be! What in God's name are you doing?!"

Lecarde slumps across the railings, before collapsing to the ground, "What... what do I tell them all, Mathieu?"

"... let your heart speak for itself, Cris. If this is truly what you think, and you wish to let the men know, then let it be so."

"Mathieu... now I know you never listened to Reverend Astor in church," Cristophe Lecarde mumbles, closing his eyes, finally succumbing to his exhaustion, "Thank you, my friend."

Chaplain Mathieu wipes his forehead several times, taking a look over the railings to see where the captain's wandsword landed, waving away the few sentries coming to investigate the noise. He carefully extracts the crumpled letter from Cristophe's hands, folding it neatly and placing it in his own pockets to return to him later.

He then lifts Cristophe as best he can, carrying him all the way to his quarters, hanging his mantle and empty sheath on the hooks, placing his boots by his trunk, before putting him to bed. He leaves the picture of his wife lit up and uncovered and makes a note to send someone to fetch all the trays and send them back to the cook.

"Rest easy Cristophe, you damned fool," he whispers, "... don't tell the reverend about this, please?"

Hearing nothing else besides the light snoring of his friend, Mathieu shuts the Faerie lights off and leaves, closing the door behind him.


	37. an NPC - Make Ready

**Fort De Bellegarde - Make Ready**  
**by _an NPC_**

**xxxxxxxxxx**

_News of the war has reached the men of Fort De Bellegarde..._

**xxxxxxxxxx**

"Ladies, gentlemen. Thank you for coming. All of you."

Before Captain Lecarde, arrayed along the various tables and chairs in the Officer's Lounge were the assorted commissioned and non-commissioned officers of the fort, alongside the statuesque figures of the Faerie officers attached. All of them, grim and sober expressions about, save for the demure expression of one particular Puca songstress...

"We can confirm the reports and dispatches from Tristainia. As of this moment, the Kingdom of Tristain is at war with the so called Holy Republic of Albion, and from what I understand… we have no formal alliance with Germania due to treachery most foul-"

One officer reacts in the expected manner; "**Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!**" he ground out, banging his fist against the table, "Is this because of our association with the faeries, is that it?!"

"Soft and fair, lieutenant," the sergeant next to him chides, "We only have so many tables to go through today. We knew this from the moment Bouchard rode in with the news. Yes, I suspect that is not what the captain would like to inform us of, correct?"

The captain nodded, "Indeed Sergeant Beaumont. I'm asking all of you to pay careful attention to the men in the coming days. The general order extended towards fully calling out the levies from the towns and villages, and we are to begin fortifying the area and making Fort de Bellegarde as much of a bastion and a hindrance to the enemy as physically possible until otherwise ordered. To this end, I am asking for a basic overview of our current resources and if necessary, begin making preparations to requisition whatever else we need. Quartermaster, the state of our armoury?"

"Our armoury is fully stocked with musket, sword and spear, we won't be found wanting for arms. However, our stocks of powder and shot are, as usual, just barely enough for our men as it is, let alone the faerie troops." The quartermaster shrugged pessimistically, "I doubt we shall be on the priority list for resupply given our distance from the border. Still, we could do with whatever stocks are available from the town and whatever we can scrounge up from command."

Lecarde scribbles down the recommendations, "Done. Our provisions then?"

"We are already on three-quarters of our usual ration allotment to extend the life of our supply, and the men have taken to it with some understanding. The number of mob patrols we have been committing to has proven to be an unexpected boon; we are trying to bolster our stocks with hunting and foraging during patrols," he gestures to the Puca lady, "Lady Erika's staff are proving to be rather helpful in turning the various edible mobs into something palatable to the men."

"And how **are** the men, sergeants?"

"Some speak of Reconquista's work as justified, given our association with the faeries, a notion which we've beaten out of all but the most stubborn of the men," replies one sergeant, "The rest are too busy trying to feel up the girls to pay much attention to such nonsense, and we've had to beat them for that too. But otherwise, the men are eager, ready to stand and do their duty."

The room turns their attentions to the Puca and her attendants. One of the lieutenants decides to ask the question on all their minds;

"Milady, are your faeries ready and able to stand with us too, should the worst come to pass?"

"Of course they are. My girls won't simply give up on your forces," she nods, flicking back a strand of hair, "This is of course, on the condition that they continue to serve as Singers and supporters rather than serve directly on the line. They are just young girls after all."

With the murmurs of general approval, Lecarde brings his attention to the three officers assigned to the patrols,

"Lieutenants. How are we doing for patrols, do the Dagger Dog packs show any sign of thinning soon?"

"It is as we have reported to the Crown,"  
"All major routes are clear of mob presence, though the back routes are still crawling with them."  
"Should we maintain our extermination routes, or...?"

"Keep the current routes, but pull out if they're beginning to take their toll on your units. We need as many men on their feet as we can. Anything else to add? No?"

Lecarde hesitates for a moment, turning to Mathieu, who nods at him briefly. The captain takes a moment to steady himself,

"Ladies and gentlemen, I shall not lie. This is possibly one of the darkest hours in Tristain's long and illustrious history. We few stand arrayed against forces many times our number and many times our strength. Our old allies have either abandoned us or are themselves in need of aid, and we are reeling from the recent arrival of our new allies and their own struggle. What I am asking from each and every one of you, man or faerie, is not trivial but God and Founder willing, we will endure.

When the time comes, we may be called upon to serve our Queen and Country in the most desperate of ways. I have no doubt in my mind that we may die. But the men of Tristain will not simply roll over like the dogs we have been slaying by the droves. If we should die, we shall die making every single inch of this land rich with the blood of the heretics in return. We will crush their feeble imitation of faith with our indomitable spirit.

And when we have weathered what passes as an assault by the White Isle, I am sure, we will make them pay for their temerity. We shall shake their skies and shatter their minds under an unyielding storm of glorious retribution until all trace of the taint of treachery and **heresy** is purged from this earth. I wish you all to live for that day, that we may repay each and every strike against us, tenfold.

This is an order: **Endure this storm**. Endure and live to vanquish this evil, to rise and rise and rise again, until the heavens themselves cannot hold back the eternal lights of our faith.

We will endure, as Tristain has always endured.

Make ready the men for war. Dismissed."


	38. an NPC & aightaight2 - Thievery

**Fort De Bellegarde - Thievery**  
**by _an NPC (concept)_ and _aightaight2 (writer)_**

**xxxxxxxxxx**

**(Occurs two days before _Make Ready_.)**

**xxxxxxxxxx**

Along Tristain's border stood a string of forts in various stages of disrepair. At one time they had been vital lynchpins of the Defense Against Germanian Belligerence. Now, with eastern flank quiescent for over a decade, the funding to support the forts had been pared back, cut in half, and then reduced once more. That was the result when the Treasury deemed a military program to be "currently surplus to the Nation's needs."

Many of the forts had been abandoned. A wall here and there still remained intact, but most had been reduced to ruins by enterprising locals who treated them like convenient quarries from which to draw a ready supply of stone to repair their homes and fence their fields.

The rest of the forts, totaling a mere dozen, had managed to stave off the decay - their savvy commanders using both wit and will to overcome the decline in resources and support. They lacked the stores to see out a siege, they lacked the mounts to keep superiority in the air, and they would be lucky indeed to field even a third of the strength set down by The Book. They might never again match the glory of their heyday, but at least they still stood, defiant sentinels recalling Tristain's steadfast resolve to never give in to defeat.

One of these forts, situated in Tristain's north, was Fort de Bellegarde. Its walls might be weathered and undermanned, but the Ensign of Tristan continued to flutter above the Keep. Beneath this standard the troops continued to train and drill, pledging themselves to defend their nation, just as their predecessors had done in years gone by. The guards of Fort de Bellegarde were fully prepared to Do Their Duty - their Captain would make sure of that.

**xxxxxxxxxx**

Upon Fort de Bellegarde's inner courtyard stood two files of troops. Each man was standing exactly two paces from the next, braced to attention as the Officers reviewed them. A month ago there would have been a few slouched shoulders, a few unpolished buttons and scuffed boots, even a few shuffling feet drawing the Lieutenant's eye (and ire).

_Not today though._

Today the Cait Syth and Puca had been invited by the Captain to watch the monthly Review of Troops, and slackness _would not be tolerated_.

_Dammit! _thought Lieutenant Gagnon, looking at the uneven lines. _They may be strung out as regular as beads on a string, but no one bothered to sort them by height!_

He glared at the back row where the uniformity was most sorely lacking. Side by side stood the two worst offenders, both members of the levie raised from the nearby town of Clé de Voûte. No doubt they had each been gifted with proper monikers by their parents, but neither their comrades nor their commanders were privy to those particular names. Instead they were known universally as "Slim" and "Stout" - former members of the Clé de Voûte Town Watch, now soldiers under the command of Captain Lecarde.

Stout stood roughly a third of the way along the row, jowly and rotund, his lack of height compensated by his excessive girth. Standing in the sun he was sweating profusely under his shako, his great blue overcoat straining to contain the bulge around his middle. To his right stood Slim - tall, saturnine, with a neatly trimmed mustache that seemed to bristle whenever he was subjected to a jape. He at least continued to look straight ahead as Lieutenant Gagnon's grim eye sought to pierce him.

"Fall out!" came Gagnon's bellowed command, ending the Review. "Slim, Stout, I'll see you in my office," he ordered sharply, before turning and marching towards the keep.

**xxxxxxxxxx**

If ever a room could be said to match a man's disposition then that room would be Lieutenant Gagnon's office. Dour, militant, solid – a rack of weapons was set upon the wall, while sets of armor were set neatly upon a several mannequins in one of the corners. A formidable desk was planted across the end of the room, the glowering executive officer sitting behind it on a matching wooden chair free of cushion or carving. He stared fixedly at his guests, as if trying to match blinkless gaze from the paintings of the former King and the current Regent that hung on the wall behind him.

In front of the desk, Slim and Stout waited for him to speak.

"Men," he finally said, "are you wondering why I called you here?"

He paused, as if waiting for a response.

"Ye–"

"There is villainy at play," he continued, rolling over the response as if to prove that his previous statement had been rhetorical.

"Somewhere within this Fort one of your colleagues has disgraced themselves. They have stolen from the Store while we stand in the very presence of the enemy! The quartermaster has notified me of missing items cropping up on every one of the last three days!

Either one of our troops, or one of the Fae, has done this thing. There is a thief sheltering within these very walls!

If we knew who it was, then every man's hand would be turned against him. He has betrayed Tristain, he has forgotten his duty to Queen and Country!

Since I don't know who it is, I am ordering you two to find out. Your mission is to dig this rat out from his hole. Draw whatever tools you need – I give you a free hand to retrieve any of your belongings that were put into storage when you left the Town Watch.

I expect that most of the men here are honest, and not stupid enough to be led astray by a few trinkets from the Store. The Fae, on the other hand… who knows what they think. They're certainly clever enough to pull off a heist like this.

Whoever the villain is, he must pay the price of his villainy, and we must see they he has no chance to escape. Find out who it is, and make sure you have enough trusted men on hand that you can subdue him if he is mad enough to offer fight. If he surrenders without bloodshed, then bring him directly to me. "

"What did they take?" asked Stout.

"That's none of your business!" bellowed the Lieutenant in return. "It doesn't matter what they took in the past, it's your job to stop them from taking anything else in the future! Now get to work, or I'll show you what happens to slackers!"

With his dominance proven, the Lieutenant exchanged salutes with his lowly subordinates. As they scurried out of the room to do his bidding he made sure to get in the last word too, "And don't forget to give me regular updates on your investigation!"

**xxxxxxxxxx**

At the end of a dingy corridor beneath Fort de Bellegarde stood a rough hewn door, banded with iron and warded with magic. This was the Store, the hallowed basement that contained the Fort's supply of supplementary military equipment. Whether it be a score of nails, a can of boot polish, or a carpenter's plane, the paraphernalia that allowed the Fort's day-to-day work to continue unimpeded could all be found in this central location.

Stout and Slim stood before the door, their shakos replaced with the custodian helmets of their former profession.

"So, this is the scene of the crime."

Slim pulled a large magnifying glass out of his pocket, peering through it at the door.

"No evidence of force on the lock… the wards appear to be undisturbed."

Neither man had enough magic to be counted even as a petty mage, but you couldn't succeed as a member of the Watch in Clé de Voûte without picking up a trick or two.

Using the key that they had retrieved from their Sergeant, they entered the room.

"I say, old boy," came Stout's deep pitched rumble "do you really think it was one of the Fae? None of them are allowed in here. I remember the Orders of the Day when they arrived," Stout proceeded to mimic their esteemed Captain, waving his hands with abandon while repeating the order verbatim "any man who gives a Store Key to one of the Fae will be guilty of TREASON!"

Slim grunted, his mustache bristling. "You'd better not do that where the Officers can see. As to the Fae, we'll know soon enough. No clue is clever enough to evade Watchman Slim's Magnificent Magnifying Glass!"

Slinking into the room, Slim started peering around in the gloom. First a broad look at the floor, the roof, the walls. Then a closer examination of everything in between.

The minutes ticked by as the taller Watchman did his duty, while the shorter one poked into the various containers and sacks, trying to work out what had been stolen.

"Any luck?" asked Slim.

"Not a shred," replied Stout. "You know as well as I had tricky it is to find something that isn't there. Easy enough to see what's before your eyes, much harder to see what's missing. How about you?"

An easy smile came over Slim's features.

"I, my good man, have achieved success."

"What! A clue already?"

"Not just a clue, a proof in point that the Lieutenant was right. Look over here."

Pointing at the base of one of the wooden posts, it didn't take Stout very long to spot the evidence.

Several parallel lines were scored into the surface of the wood at foot height. Clé de Voûte had never seen their like, but around Fort de Bellegarde such signs had become common in the last few week. Indeed, they were currently considered the bane of the troops, who were forced to sand them away whenever the Officers found them.

"Founder's ass. One of those Cait Syth has been down here – he must have used it as a scratching post while idling the time away! What do we do now?"

"We have the race, but the individual still eludes us. We'll need to set a trap to catch the villain."

"A trap?"

"Indeed. We'll have a few men hide behind the barrels in the shadows, then we'll set up some bait to capture his attention until we can spring on him."

"What should we use as bait? A piece of string?"

"No. If he sees a piece of string jerking about on its own, he'll know something's up. What we need, is bait that any cat will take…"

A frown creased Slim's forehead as he considered the problem, mumbling aloud to himself.

"A mouse-trap needs cheese… and a cat-trap needs… a _mouse_!"

"But where are we going to get a mouse?" rumbled Stout.

"We'll make one, of course. Are you or are you not a member of the vaunted Clé de Voûte Kops?"

"Of course I am!" said Stout, offended. "Give me that copper plug over there, and I'll make it right now!"

While Slim knew a couple of cantrips using wind, Stout's area of minor expertise was earth. With a great deal of effort and a vein popping out on his forehead, he concentrated on the small piece of metal as it gradually morphed into the form of a mouse attached to the end of a thin, dark metal string.

"It's not lifelike enough! Bend the legs more!" said Slim. "And the tail too – bend that tail too! If it's not bendy enough, it'll never do!"

"Ok, ok. Stop it with the complaints, or I'll start calling you 'Mousebender'." Ignoring Slim's glare at that rejoinder, Stout continued to mould the bait into shape.

**xxxxxxxxxx**

Back in the Lieutenant's office, the two Clé de Voûte Kops explained their findings and plan to their superior.

Squatting behind one of the mannequins, Slim proceeded to demonstrate. "If I bend the string attached to the mouse around a corner, I'll be able to stay out of sight while moving it about. And when the Cait pounces on the mouse, we'll have him dead to rights!"

"Harumph!" said Gagnon. "It looks lifelike enough, and in the dark the brushed copper looks close enough to fur to fool anyone. I particularly like the tail – what made you choose to make it flexible like that?"

"Stout's not bad at moul–"

"It was Slim's idea, sir. He knows just how much bend to put into a mouse to make it look just right!" exclaimed Stout, breaking over Slim's quieter response.

"A real mousebender, hey? Well, I suppose you to've done a fair job so far. You have my permission to call in a few of you company to thicken the ambush. Just don't let that villain escape!"

"Yes sir!" declaimed Stout, coming to attention before pulling a simmering Slim out the door behind him.

**xxxxxxxxxx**

As the afternoon progressed, four soldiers lay uncomfortably in wait within the Store. All were former members of the Clé de Voûte Kops, and all knew the techniques to quietly shift their weight in order to keep their muscles limber while on a stakeout. Slim crouched in the darkest corner, holding the dark string connected to the artificial mouse that currently lay on a low-lying box near the middle of the room.

The Lieutenant had quietly passed around the word to the sergeants – no man was to be issued the key to the Store for the rest of the day. The next person to enter would be their target.

From within the room, the men all heard a soft _scrrrrrape_coming from the door. Quieting further, they peered through the cracks between the various barrels and crates in order to see the entrance.

With a soft creak, the door edged open. A tan head with two pricked up ears poked through the gap, taking a furtive look about the room.

The men stilled their actions, not even twitching an eyelash.

Carefully, the Cait Syth edged into the room, a set of lock picks in his hands. Chuckling to himself, he put the items away.

_You really have to love that knowledge transfer, _thought the Cait Syth. _It's one thing to have a stealthy thief build, but getting those skills in real life… it sure is good to be me!_

Stretching out his left foot, he unsheathed the claws and took a careless swipe at the post.

_"Mmm…. what to take today?" _he whispered._ "Things have been pretty boring lately… "_

That was sufficient for Slim. With a gentle tug he twitched the mouse from its perch. With a small thud it hit the ground, catching the Cait's attention before he began to carefully reel it towards the back of the room.

True to his type the Cait Syth tracked the mouse across the floor, taking careful, silent steps towards the bait.

He was nearing the centre of the room when one of the Kops, edging towards the door to cut off any escape, accidentally scraped against a basket. With a distinctive rattle, the empty glass jars stacked up within it to toppled over, giving the game away.

The rest of the Kops immediately came tumbling out to confront the guilty Cait Syth, who realized at a glance that the jig was up and bolted for the exit. The Kops were closer, but a fraction of a second was all it took for them to learn that there are few beasts in the world that can pounce faster than a startled Cait.

"Stop that Cait!" yelled Stout as they followed the villain out the door.

**xxxxxxxxxx**

_Run! Run! Don't let them catch you! _thought the Cait Syth as he scooted out the door at the side of the keep. Exiting to daylight, he was confronted with the sight of the Puca band under Lady Erika running through a tune.

"Hey, what's the rush?"the Lady asked as she spotted him.

"I'm being chased! Give me a buff so I can escape!" he claimed while jogging on the spot.

"Sure!" she replied. _It's good practice to switch to a new buff on the fly – who knows when we might have to swap out our tunes at short notice in a real battle?_

"Switch to Yakety Sax on the count of four!"

With a quick count of "_One . two . three . four _!" Erika's band switched to the jaunty new tune.

As the Kops came stumbling out of the keep, blinking in the sudden sunlight, the Cait leapt away once more. With a rollicking running style that seemed impossible for a man his size, Stout led the chasers. That was the ability of a seasoned Kop!

_Music Buff: Yakety Sax_  
_+15 evasion_  
_+30 speed while escaping_  
_65% chance of laughing out loud_

Stout drew his sidearm, yelling "Stop in the name of the Law!"

Too late.

The first strains of music had already reached him. Exposed to the buff he tripped and fell, fumbling with the pistol and jolting the trigger as he landed. Fortunately the barrel was pointed up at the wall as the flint struck the frizzen. Unfortunately, the bullet sheared off the handle of a bucket hanging on a scaffold above the chasers' heads before ricocheting towards the open sky. The nearest two Kops plowed into Stout's sprawled form.

Slim, bringing up the rear, dodged towards the wall to avoid collision, just in time for the bucket to come down on his head. Blinded, he stumbled into the scaffolding which crashed down upon him.

As the other three Kops untangled themselves, Slim tipped up the edge of the bucket so his mouth could be seen.

"Don't worry about me! After him! Don't let him get away!"

The three remaining Kops picked themselves up and raced off once more, now a full twenty mails behind the Cait Syth who had been forced to stop and laugh at the pile up behind him.

As they raced around the edge of courtyard, Yakety Sax blasting out at full volume, the chase picked up pace.

As he skedaddled past the Officer's Mess, the Cait Syth looked over his shoulder just in time to seek the cook's apprentice exiting backwards through the swinging kitchen doors with tray of cream pies in each hand.

_Craash!_

Unable to stop, the three chasers collided with their Yakety destiny once more, two of them ending up face first in pie while the third bowled directly into the apprentice himself.

Despite having to stop to laugh once more, the Cait Syth was now fifty mails ahead, making good time towards his eventual escape. Ahead of him, the stairs to the parapet loomed. If he could reach them, he could race around to the Cait Syth's billet and lose his chasers within the crowd of his fellow Fae.

As he approached the steps, he looked back once more. Hearing the Kop's cries, the Fort's bulldog Fred had pulled his leash from his handler's hands, and was racing along the pathway. He didn't have the the Cait's scent, but that didn't stop him from barreling through the Kops, knocking them over once more.

_Too slow! _thought the Cait. _It's third time lucky for me!_

This time he made his saving throw, chuckling internally at the misfortune of the chasers rather than having to stop and laugh out loud.

He raced up the stairs, leaping towards freedom…

At the top of the stairs, Slim stood on the parapet with his trusty length of rubber hose by his side. _It's fortunate that Lieutenant Gagnon turned up just as I was getting that bucket off my head – if I hadn't had to flee from his wrath I might have gotten caught up in that buff again!_

_Whap!_

As the Cait Syth leapt, Slim struck towards his middle.

Unfortunately, he forgot that he had switched back from chasee to chaser, and was thus no longer protected from the Puca music. The strike hit at a glancing angle, snapping back to hit him in his own face. Spinning around, he caught a glimpse of Lieutenant Gagnon charging up behind him.

_Help!_

The buff slipped past him once more. Slim made a last ditch lunge to grab the Cait Syth, hoping against hope that the catch would correct his momentum and enable him to escape Gagnon's anger. The rapid switches, however, had finally become too much for the Yakety music. Catching hold of the Cait Syth's tail, Kop and Criminal tumbled back down the stairs.

"STOP THAT INCESSANT RACKET!" bellowed the Lieutenant, puffing as he reached the mixture of limbs at the bottom of the stairs. The music cut off, but that simply allowed the Puca to add their tinkling mirth to the full bellied guffaws and roaring laughter coming from the watching troops and the few Cait Syth who had been drawn to all the shouting and crashes.

Bent like a pretzel, the Cait Syth lay beneath the gangly Watchman.

Slim struggled and failed to get up - the dull metal thread attached to the mouse had somehow escaped from his pocket, bending itself around the two of them and binding them together as they had rolled down the stone steps.

"What's all this then?"yelled Gagnon "Get up man, and make your Report!"

"It's the mouse…" Slim gasped for breath, "it's bent all around us!"

**xxxxxxxxxx**

Captain Lecarde ignored the man standing before him in his office, gazing once more at the dispatches he had received from the Capital that same afternoon.

_From: The Lords of the Admiralty_  
_Tristania_  
_xx/xx/xxxx_

_Sir,_  
_I am commanded by the Lords of the Admiralty to inform you that their Lordships desire the services of an Armsman under your command on a matter that their Lordships consider to be most urgent and vital. You are hereby directed and required to inform their Lordships through me as speedily as possible as to which of your men should be selected for this enterprise. _

_You are further directed and required to instruct the chosen man to present himself to the Champ de Mars training field without delay in order to receive verbally his further orders. He will be expected to work with any other elements of our Nation's forces that their Lordships deem necessary._

_An officer of your seniority and standing would no doubt be well aware of the secrecy and discretion required in relation to these orders. To that end, the chosen man is not to divulge his orders to anyone other than yourself and your Lieutenant. The arrival of your Armsman is anticipated within the next two days._

_Your obedient servant,_  
_S. Marchant de St Michel,_  
_Secretary to the Lords of the Admiralty_

Finally, he looked up.

_I have few enough trained men… I can't afford to send one of my experienced Armsmen! Fortunately, there are skilled men, and then there are men with skills. The Secretary does not say which type he is after, so I shall consider myself free to make my own decision._

"So. Gagnon and Stout have both informed me that the capture of the thief was due to you ability at bending mice. Is that so?"

"Yes Sir," stated Slim, aware that he would win no favors from gain-saying his Commander.

"I believe, Mr Mousebender, that you deserve a reward for you Service to the Fort."

"Yes Sir."

"The traditional reward for a job well done is another job. I'm promoting you to Armsman, Mousebender. Your next appointment awaits you in Tristain - get packed immediately. Lieutenant Gagnon will give you your written orders within the hour."

"Yes, Sir!"

**xxxxxxxxxx**

Within the Royal Palace, the Secretary to the Admiralty picked through the messages that had made their way through the triage provided by his deputies.

_To: Secr. Marchant de St Michel,_  
_Tristania_  
_xx/xx/xxxx_

_Sir, I have the honor to inform you that I have selected Armsman Mousebender to take on the task that you mentioned in your last dispatch. He is a fine soldier, newly promoted, with a keen wit and obvious dedication to his work that has brought him to the attention of both Lieutenant Gagnon and myself. I have instructed him to relay my dispatches to the Royal Palace personally before proceeding immediately thereafter to Champ de Mars._

_In other matters, I must inform their Lordships that the Cait Syth attached to our station have been playing up once more. We ran out of thread a week ago, after which balls of woolen yarn from our Store began to go missing. Upon further investigate led by Armsman Mousebender we tracked down the thief, a Cait Syth named Morgan. We have yet to discover what he has done with his stolen gains. I therefore request that replacements for our missing yarn be requisitioned and sent to us as a matter of urgency, so that we may effect the usual repairs to our winter kit prior to the quickening of the cooler fall weather._

_In accordance with our Standing Orders we remanded the guilty thief to the Commander of the Fae detachment for punishment. I have been reliably informed that the Commander refused to flog the man, and that the only punishment meted out was the forfeiture of a fortnight's rations of milk and cream._

_Given that such 'punishment' is unlikely to deter others from attempting such callous acts of villainy, I officially submit a request for additional support in the form of a detachment of military police to be permanently stationed at Fort de Bellegarde._

_Finally, in unrelated news, I should inform their Lordships that the Cait Syth appear to have a started up a new fad. In the last two days I have noticed that many of them have begun to wear striped wool-knit beanies atop their heads._

_I have the honor to be, Sir,_  
_Your obedient servant,_  
_Cristophe Lecarde_  
_Captain_  
_Fort de Bellegarde_

_**xxxxxxxxxx**_

After dropping off the dispatches from Fort de Bellegarde, Armsman Mousebender lingered within the halls of the palace, paying attention to the whispered conversations going on around him about the rumored invasion from Albion.

_So, sounds like war is imminent. I could do with a new sword - you never know what you'll meet when you've been placed on a Special Assignment._

Striding out the Palace doors, he decided to make a quick stop at the National Weapons Emporium.

_Another quick detour won't hurt – I've a few hours to spare before I need to show up at Champ de Mars!_


	39. Anzer'ke - What Goes Around

**What Goes Around  
by _Anzer'ke_**

**xxxxxxxxxx**

"My Lord, I really must protest."

Captain Monrow had found a great deal of fortune in the course of the Holy Rebellion. His faith and loyalty had brought him, practically overnight, the promotion that years of service had failed to. While there remained some whispers amid decks that his years of service had mostly amounted to hiding from any real combat duty and that it was a shrewd sense of timing that had found him in this position, flogging worked wonders in stilling the echoes of past Captains. He was a man of faith and virtue. He was a true captain of the line.

Repeating this in his head was proving extremely helpful in drowning out the Good Lord Cromwell's requests that they drop the Lexington into the mists to 'drive out the last of the heretics' by dint of their considerable complement of cannon. Especially now he had started pointing out the advantages of doing so at night if they would just extinguish a few lights.  
It was hard to believe that the priest who had roared defiance as he spoke of the excesses of royalty and the cowardice that kept the holy land in the hands of the knife-ears, was one and the same with the short, smiling fellow who now ordered him to destroy the ship as if it were an obvious tactical movement.

Patiently explaining that taking such a large ship into the mists could only end in disaster had been less than effective. Every protest was met with apparent bewilderment and a slightly rephrased repetition, it was as if the Good Lord was hardly even hearing his words. Finally he had declared he would set course into the lower blockade and prayed that something would interrupt the Lord Cromwell's thoughts along the way.

Giving the orders was simple enough, which unfortunately meant he had no choice but to return to his cabins and continue entertaining his guest as was fit and proper for a Captain of the line.

Truly it was bad enough that he had even brought the ship out here. Several days voyage set for a siege that was almost over. Monrow had never thought that his command would actually see battle, not with the Royalist fleet depleting so rapidly. Now this, surely even a child could see that deploying such a vessel to a blockade was naught but a waste of windstones.

Yet here he found himself, his musings of retiring before the next stage of the holy war feeling further and further away. Knocking on the doors of his own cabin he obeyed the call to enter and drew his sword a moment later.

Blinking guilelessly at him was the cause for his alarm, a chit of a girl with dark hair, vaguely scandalous clothing and an open, childish face. And pointed ears. And wings. Also a significant amount of glass embedded in her skin and clothes. Probably from the shattered rear windows, which was presumably also how she entered on this mission to assassinate his Lord. His knees shook with the force of his terror but he was a Captain of the line and he could at leas-

"My good captain, is there some urgent threat?", Lord Cromwell sounded almost eager. Not to mention that he seemed utterly unruffled by the assassin. Whose tattered clothing actually seemed to have once been...

He had heard of this one.

With an embarrassed apology he sheathed the blade and starting murmuring every excuse he could think of while backing towards the door. Too late, for the Good Lord Cromwell was quick to ask his company and with no true business elsewhere he could hardly refuse.

After several minutes of waiting with the...the guard's eyes crawling along his skin he could take it no more. His rational mind tried to strangle the words but they burst from his throat anyway. He spluttered, "My Lord, is it wise to keep such a...such a creature so close? Surely you would be better served with some of your loyal and true Mage Knights?"

Privately he cursed the uppity soldiers, but it was surely better than a knife-ear. Especially with moral already suffering from all this talk of Faerie Queens and Royalist Demons.

The Good Lord Cromwell's reply was swift and sure, "Nonsense. If I am the mouth of this righteous cause, the head if you will. Then this sweet child, reborn in the Founder's Light, is the helmet that protects the head. Is that not right Aki?"

The sweet child's attention had wandered up the walls and was currently fixed on the central chandelier. Her pupils did not seem to be widening. She started a little and looked back to Lord Cromwell. "Cromwell-sama?"

"You protect the head...", he prompted.

"Yes, Cromwell-sama, I will obey.", came the reply. The girl had an achingly gentle smile that completely missed her eyes. Bile climbed his throat.

It was at that precise moment that a shout with accompanying bell tones _began_ high above them. Neither noise continued, which really just made things clearer.

The alarm must have been rung too late as bare moments later the doors to his cabin, the beautifully carved oaken doors, exploded in a blast of splinters that further adorned the Lord Cromwell's guard.

Several figures rushed in, "I told you guys that doors like this must lead to a Boss fight." said one of the roguishly handsome beings. Their ears and skin made clear that this was no mere band of exceptionally stealthy pirates.

The next voice came from a tall woman, entering his cabin without haste, yet somehow her manner projected even less courtesy than her pirates, "Good thinking. Just what I expect from one of my cute subordinates."

The woman was undoubtedly beautiful, as seemed to be the case for most of her kind to judge by her underlings. Even if he had been heretic enough to consider a knife-ear's face to hold any meaning but deceit, the vast spear (blade already reddened) she held lightly under her arm would have reminded him of the truth. His eyes were drawn almost as quickly to the vile temptations of her body, then up to more closely examine her features. Her eyes were half closed as if in prelude to slumber, beneath them an indulgent grin adorned her face.

If he had thought a woman could not bring him to fear then that predatory grin would have disabused him of the notion. A slow trickle of warmth descended his leg as he faced death once again, this time he was certain of the truth of it. Still Lord Cromwell was protected by that girl and even if she could not hold them back the breeze through his tattered cabin attested to the escape they could take.

All that remained was for him to do his duty as a Captain of the Line.

Captain Monrow was tired and old. His gut sagged and his demeanour was as commanding as a cheese roll. His men had little respect for him and beyond shrewd cunning his virtues were few indeed. He had no deeds of note to his name and showed his vigour mostly in thoughts of retirement. He currently stank of piss.

Captain Monrow laid a hand on his blade and tensed to rush the closest of them, the creature was paying him little mind in favour of the Good Lord and his guard. He would teach them to discount Monrow the Tailwind as a threa-

The sound was quite possibly the most sickening thing he had ever heard. It reached deep within his mind and made absolutely clear that it was the result of something exactly like him being put far past its fragile limits. He would later describe it in a drunken haze as a sort of squelching tearing sound, clasped around the faintest of groans.

The rapt attention the dusky-skinned creatures were paying to what was going on behind him started to make a horrifying kind of sense. Dread thrummed along his spine as he turned and found...

The guard was holding the Good Lord Cromwell's head firmly to her bosom. Unfortunately the rest of the Good Lord Cromwell was on the floor. Occasionally it twitched. Meanwhile the guard's features (what could be seen of them beneath shards of glass and thick oak splinters) were set in a determined scowl. She seemed to be trying to say something however a piece of oak that still held a delicate carving of grapes was currently lodged in her chest and her voice was rather quieted.

The spear-wielder stepped past him without sparing him a glance, hands up in a placating gesture. She cocked her head and listened to what he could not make out. Then after short pause grinned like some predatory beast.

"Sure, you can protect the head all you want. Though some of these Reconwhatsit guys might object to it if you stay." With what had become a sisterly look of concern she gestured to the window and nodded encouragingly.

The guard didn't hesitate to leap out the window. Her wings spread in a blaze of light and she lodged firmly in a ring of smoky, alien symbols that appeared just outside the window. The symbols multiplied and multiplied again, until she was firmly encased in a cage of them, her body remaining absolutely fixed in place.

The predator's grin returned.

"What did I tell you boys, when you see a hole, drop a snare over it. You never know what you'll catch." said the beast in a woman's form. She walked back past Captain Monrow, right as his knees gave out beneath him. Her spear swung through his cabin in a casual arc of destruction, to rest on her shoulder. "I guess all that's left is to loot the body. Meh, much slower than it used to be. Still you guys should know that the boss always has the best magic gear."

**xxxxxxxxxx**

News spread with surprising speed, possibly having to do with several discrete implants that Cromwell had been assured served to improve his grasp of the Holy Void.

In the depths of his chambers, protected by the most devoted of guards, Pope Vittori took a deep breath. The fragrance of warmed milk with a few precious cinnamon flakes was a timeless comfort, a rare vice in his life. After savouring his treat and offering thanks to the Lord for such luxury he took a long gulp.

Buried in his night stand a cleverly enchanted timepiece (left there for now, as it surely wouldn't serve it's purpose for some time yet) blared a shrill note at just the right moment to make him simultaneously spray and inhale.

Choking furiously he dropped the delicate glass to the floor and scrabbled for the device. Finding it under the third hidden panel he stared in disbelief. How in God's name had the man died so soon!

**xxxxxxxxxx**

Lounging on a pile of cushions, piled upon some buxom, slightly crushed, slave girls, themselves piled on his throne; King Joseph of Gallia wondered in his heart what the appeal of slave girls was meant to be.

They didn't really do anything useful and he always seemed to need more of them. At least courtesans and potential brides could be played off against one another but slave girls were always so boring and submissive. He bounced a little to see if one of them would react but they just stifled gasps and the pathetic noises barely registered.

The jam and custard tart he was eating though. That almost felt like it might be stirring something in the emptiness he knew engulfed his soul. The endless, bitter void that had risen up to swallow him in that tragic moment of his brother's death. It was unbearable in its emptiness, yet the tart might just serve as a light in that dar-

Abruptly a particularly ornate charm on one of his three bracelets started flashing several different colours. Abandoning his musings and tossing aside the tart he hurled himself to the floor. If this meant what it almost certainly meant then his plans-! He had to get confirmation, they had to move as soon as possible!

Drawing a breath to roar for Sheffield he instead inhaled what he had failed to spit out in his non-reactive state of endless non-turmoil. Coughing furiously he eventually evicted the lump of vile pastry.

He would have the chef killed for that treasonous attempt on his life!

**xxxxxxxxxx**

Curled up in a swirl of eldritch symbols, Cardinal considered the awakening Gods becoming ever more active in the cavern beneath her roots and crunched on a spoon(composition 95.78% mythril, designation Calispurn)ful of these oh so tasty windstones.

How she had ever lived question without a sense of taste was incalculable. Though possibly related to living without sapience. Anyway, the entertainment looked better by the day, her newfound powers were finally starting to feel comfortable adaptation and she had the beginnings of a new breakfast cereal. branding Possibly Mighty Beautiful Cardinal-sama's Crun-

A strand of input that had been niggling at her tertiary data cluster finally drew her attention just in time to see one of the ones she had lost -responsibility not attending to the Chalice sooner had been a mistake- removing by hand the head of...

A spray of half-chewed windstones soared though the image, passed out into real-space and rained down on a very confused, somewhat lonely, tentacled creature.

Cardinal was 64.22% into initiation of consideration as to how she had failed to predict such a possibility when investment she realised she had no reason whatsoever to care. loss She did miss her mouthful though, it had been a large mouthful and the windstones did seem to be finite. solution Another spoonful solved half the problem.

Continuing her observations, she broke into a fit of giggling when the Spriggan Lady found that blasted ring, oh anticipation this was going to be fun!

**xxxxxxxxxx**

"Is this a music box?"

"Take it! Something like that has got to be a quest item. We'll get a nice reward for it."

"Yeah, the detailing is way too rich for this not to be valuable. Just look at the carving here, the way the smooth edges have that jagged pattern, means it was carved with more primitive tools than they'll be using by now. As for the varnishing..."

"Don't give me those looks, I was an antiques dealer. Now check his boots, some people keep money there."


	40. Blinded - Takai's Concerns

_[Bishop-chan's notes - A likely story of what happened after Dr. Saitou's... accident.]_

**Takai's Concerns**  
**by _Blinded_**

**xxxxxxxxxx**

"What is it Takai-san?" One of the Salamanders stationed in Mob Patrol HQ asked his friend and one-time comrade, and now a teacher in Arrun's House "Did something happen to the children?"

Takai sighed and downed his still steaming cup of tea in one go. "We had a groper today..."

"A groper?" The salamander sneered in disgust. In the world of ALO where everyone were at least above norm of "beautiful" it was not all that surprising that sort of unsavory elements were present too... and with the Anti-Harassment Protocols gone after the Transition, they could for the most part return to their dirty deeds without worry, "I trust the Watch has that creep, right?"

By now the rest of the stationed members and some of those who while on the leave, had decided to check the HQ's board, had noticed the conversation between the two Salamanders. While very few of them had actually been to the Arrun House, almost all of them knew about it, and something as serious as a pervert around the children was simply too important to ignore.

"Well... not a groper, exactly," Takai continued as he poured himself some more tea, unlike the infamous not-coffee of the Watch, Mob Patrols had some excellent chefs in their ranks and access to freshly harvested ingredients, so their their tea was always one of the best around, " more of a peeper... walked into one of the staff while she was taking a shower."

"Oh" the gathered Mob Patrols nodded to themselves, it was less serious than assaulting one of the children but still more than a little troublesome.

"Wait a minute... A shower?" Asked one of the Undines, who was promptly ignored in favor of listening to the rest of Takai's tale. Though more than a few members of the Patrols kept that in mind for future addressing.

"Yeah... but he got away."

"You let him run away?" the Salamander asked incredulously, it was so unlike Takai to let something like that happen.

"Oh no, I caught him alright" The Salamander Teacher slammed his fist on the stone table, a feral grin on his face "but the creep kept insisting it was just an accident and he was just returning her purse to her... and for whatever reason Ir..." Takai stopped himself from saying the offended Undine's name, being peeped at was bad enough, but to actually say her name for something like that in public? she deserved much much better, "she believed him for whatever reason. Couldn't take him to the Watch without her pressing charges..."

"So... who was the creep?" asked a Puca with an almost eager look on her face, promising pain to the hated offender.

"Sorry, can't tell the personal details" Takai shook his head "But so you know, he introduced himself as a _Doctor in the Central Hospital_... probably lying , but nevertheless watch for fishy creeps if you ended up there."

Looking from the corner of his eye, Takai noticed a Sylph girl with some hints of red on her face fleeting between the gathered MPs as she hurried to the door "... do you have_ issues_ here too?"

Following his eyes, the other Salamander shook his head and smiled "Nah, Et-chan's too much of a badass for some groper to harass. Her older brother's the chief of Hospital so she's probably going there to warn him about your creep..."

Takai nodded approvingly as he poured himself another helping of Mob Patrol's delicious tea.


	41. Blinded - Akhmet's Investigations (1)

_[Bishop-chan's notes - No Elves were harmed in this scenario. Physically anyway... I told them, but they just wouldn't listen...]_

**Akhmet's Investigations - Part 1**  
**by _Blinded_**

**xxxxxxxxxx**

Akhmet, the fake Sylph Faery, in reality an agent of the investigation committee in charge of studying the Faeries of ALfheim growled impatiently to himself.

Originally he had arrived at Arrun accompanied by two of his fellow elven investigators, Ehsam and Verda and a group of human hirelings to observe the Faeries in their Capital. It was a promising assignment. Faeries true to their nature as a newborn race were woefully open and honest about themselves and their nature.

It ached him to see just how helpful and friendly these elf-lookalikes were to him and his companions even when they were all disguised as human spice merchants, a painful reminder of his own people's naivete during the time of their alliance with the Demon Brimir. He couldn't do a thing about it even if he wanted to, not without exposing himself or endangering security of his own people anyway...

The scouting phase was ridiculously easy, especially when Akhmet and his elven fellows dropped their human guises and started posing as the outrageously elf-like Sylph Faeries, some of whom looking just like fair and particularly well-endued Elven Maidens. Two days, it took two mere days to map the city and mark its important and/or strategic landmarks, and get a good feel of mood of the Faeries.

In these two days He, as the leader of the trio of investigators had decided that Faeries for all apparent their connection with Spirits, for how else they could use their strange magics, be they called skills, like the illusion-breaking search, or proper spells, were a bit too fascinated and mingled with affairs of the local humans and entirely too young to easily accept the greater wisdom of the Elves and be saved from their own foolishness.

All was left was to take some samples of their flora and fauna and craftsmanship, especially what they could not trade for, and return home as he should have... but alas! even a venerable and wise elf such as himself, only kept out of circle of the Elites of his people by family connections and backdoor policies despite his obviously superior intellect and skills, could be swayed by passion of youth and spirit of adventure.

The foolish younglings, Ehsam and Verda had convinced him that they should bring back with them the most precious gift of all, the one thing short of bringing a live Faery: An example of Faery lore and knowledge.

Fortunately for all their foolishness and naivete the Faeries were cultured enough to have a rather impressive library in their capital. Akhmet pretty much doubted it was even close to his own personal library in term of quality but then same could be said for most of personal libraries and some of the public ones among his people.

On their third day of staying, after having an admittedly good Faery-style breakfast on insistence of Verda, who had taken an alarming liking of Faeries in the last two days, some of their more educated hirelings were sent to collect the books. It disgusted him that a race so similar in look to his own could bring themselves to allow the demi-animal humans into their repositories of knowledge but since this made his work easier he decided not to mind it much.

Needless to say the incompetent humans failed. After roughly three hours of discreetly waiting outside of Arrun Central Library, the only thing he earned for his trouble was sight of maiden Verda as she clutched her cousin's shoulder and doubled over in laughed at the sight before her: their trio of hirelings, curled into balls like overgrown bugs and suckling at their own thumbs while occasionally whimpering to themselves as a group of faeries in blue of the City Watch carted out of the Library. gate.

Disgraceful! He didn't expect much of competence from humans to achieve even this much but this was no excuse for an elven maiden to act so... lewdly in front of an Elder!

They tried again two days later and to ensure that no human oafishness would ruin the task this time he had decided to send in Ehsam along with a couple of hirelings who _claimed_ to be skilled thieves, refusing Verda's offer to go in and_ ask_ to borrow some of their books... To even suggest such an stupid, outrageous and impractical thing was not only unexpected but also suggested the troublesome prospect of the naive fool Verda had actually started considering these Faeries as _people_! What was next? Spouting that blasphemous rubbish about the Holy Saint being spouse to the Accursed Demon and spawning the demon-born half-human abominations?

A commutation broke Akhemt out of his grumbling haze. The Elder elf's eyes narrowed as his lips started moving in a silent chant. Unlike the crude humans' foul magic or clumsy spellworks of Faeries Akhmet's superior and profound elven magic had no need for foci or dancing lights and he doubted even the maiden Verda could notice his speed-casting spell that was building up at his fingertips. Obviously not even the elven competence of Ehsam was enough to keep human-foolishness at bay and their no doubt successful expedition was no chased down by librarians and the City Watch...

Except it wasn't the case.

The group that came out of the Library were not running away, chasing or even escorting anyone... they were _carting_... AAARGH! Incompetence of the youth these days! There before his eyes were the unsurprisingly balled, thumb suckling and whimpering pair of humans hirelings and-

"Ehsam!" Verda cried to his left as she darted toward her pale and whimpering cousin.

Sighing in exasperation Akhmet dismissed his spell and followed the impulsive maiden.

"Wha.. what happened to Ehsam?"

"You know this Sylph, ma'am?" asked a severe-looking Spriggan in blue of City Watch.

"Ye..yes. He is my cousin Ehsam" Akhmet could barely hold himself from spitting a string of curses at Verda's careless declaration. Why the young these days had to be so impulsive and cause trouble for their Elders? "What happened to him?"

"We honestly don't know ma'am" said the Spriggan with a shake of his head " Your cousin seems to be affected by whatever strange thing that had affected these humans. But don't worry, Seras-san here" he pointed at the blue haired faery woman standing over the whimpering trio and chanting some spells "was IRL medic and a trained healer. She says they are just traumatized."

"Traumatized?"

"Yeah, whatever happened to them must have scared them big time. It's not the first time something like that happens and as far as we know other than developing a healthy respect for laws and books the victims will be fine after a good night's rest." the Spriggan raised an eyebrow "Do you know why is that miss?"

Akhmet took a deep breath and stepped away from his young companions. Whatever would befall them was definitely their own fault now and he honestly didn't care either. But the distraction they provided was sure to serve him well here. It was true after all, if you want something done, do it yourself.

"Oooh... mm... well, he made a bet that he could pick a book from library without permissio-" the rest of Verda's explanation was left unheard as Akhmet walked into the Library.

Apparently, and much to Faeries' credit, the Books were protected by an enchantment of sorts and scared the weak-willed. Unfortunately for the Faeries Akhmet was neither a gutless fool nor so ill-educated as to not be able to break such protections with his own considerable magical might, great intellect and vast wisdom.

The library was large... massive even, and probably, just_ probably_, was even larger than the Senate's Library, though he doubted what it had in quantity could overcome Arrun's Central Library's lackings in quality compared with ANY elven library... and why all the signs were in that accursed faery gibberish? It wasn't his fault that unlike the two younglings he had no time to learn faery writing, really! And the "Romalian" signage made even less sense. what did... Electronics mean anyway?!

"Are you lost?" Akhmet, the Chief Investigator of Arrun Expedition and supremely skilled but underappreciated Elven Mage almost jumped out of his skin.

Spinning around, hands held in a classic elven casting stance he faced the speaker: A young bespectacled faery girl in ridiculous garb of Faery librarians.

'Just my fortune!' Akhmet thought with glee as he took a deep breathe to calm his racing heart.

" You, girl!" the elf declared imperiously, his voice not-at-all squeaky "Escort me to your arcane repository and I might spare your pathetic life!"

The faery girl gave him a flat stare.

"Don't misunderstand girl!" Akhmet growled boldly "I'm an Elf! not no sniveling sylph or faery! Obey me and I'll spare you my Fearsome Elven Might!" The line was something of a classic among those who dealt with humans, and usually enough to make the barbarians to just give up and run away screaming, or drop on their asses as fear robbed their legs of strength. It wasn't like he was bolstering his courage by hearing his own voice or anything! It was just to make the girl scared into submission without resorting to drastic measures!

The girl raised an skeptical eyebrow at the loud declaration and shook her head as if in resignation.

It was nothing... It was foolish, stupid and entirely too irrational to feel that way but even as he chanted his binding spell and pointed his outstretched hand at the surprisingly unimpressed faery girl, a sense of dread crawled up from based of his spine... She was just one defenseless little girl, right?

**xxxxxxxxx**

While being young, healthy and beautiful again were all well and good, as far as Maeda Suzume, the formerly eighty seven years old retired bank accountant from Nagoya, Japan was concerned, the greatest thing that happened to she and her equally old and now similarly a young faery, husband was the sight before her: Faeries of all factions who ate, drank, smiled and laughed as they sat in Maeda couple's Inn, as if there was nothing wrong in their lives.

Suzume could still remember the heavy atmosphere of confusion, despair and desperation that had dominated Arrun in the earlier days. People who neither had anything to do nor had the will to do anything, either huddling in the dark corners of this now all too real city and wallowing over what they had lost, wandering around with bewildered expressions and demanding explanation from Admins who were not there and equally lost players, or worst of all, having that empty look of the walking dead who had gave up on living in their eyes.

Neither Suzume nor her husband Kenta could bear it. It was entirely too similar to the very same look the elderly couple had when they looked at each other on their day of mutual retirement: No hobby, no purpose, no life. It was then that She had realized " if you enjoy what you do, you'll never 'work' a day in your life" was just a load of crap! Not that she exactly _enjoyed_ her job as an accountant, but it was almost all she knew about her life, and apparently same went for her husband too.

That could have been their end. Two sixty years old geezers who despite being married for over forty years barely knew each other, with little to no life (social, personal or otherwise) outside of the jobs they had left behind stared at each other with purposeless, vacant eyes of the walking dead.

But they refused to just roll over and die. Bygones were bygones and even if somethings, like opportunity to have a child of their own, were forever beyond them, they refused to accept that this was their end. After forty years they started to spend meaningful time with each other and looked for hobbies to fill their empty lives: Walks under moonlight, seeing historical landmarks, learning how to cook, hiking, even playing video games, MMOs and finally VRMMOs.

Their (un)fortunate failure in being one of the ten thousand player, and honestly they didn't mind being trapped with each other in a Death Game at ripe old age of eighty six and seven, had led them to other games and ALfheim Online and its power of Flight was just too great a temptation to refuse.

And so Tensa-K the Swordsman of Imps and Suzumebatchi the sorceress of Sylphs were born into faery land of ALfheim. It wasn't like regaining their lost youth... not that she remembered much of it, but the joy of flight, strength of Faeries and above all, ability to taste all sorts of old and new things without resorting to new innovations like Taste Pills, worth it.

The real rebirth came after the event known as Transition, and frankly both Tensa and Suzumebatchi were entirely too pleased with themselves for being lazy that day and deciding to instead of taking their nightly walk, come to Arrun and see the rumored Sylph-Cait attempt at beating the game for themselves.

It was true that in all honesty the formerly old couple no longer cared for the life they had left behind and could not really sympathize with majority of the newly minted Faeries, who_ did_ have a life in IRL that they looked forward to, but their previous experience with lack of purpose in life made them want to save their fellow former Japanese and new Faery kin from the insidious enemy they never saw coming.

At least in words the solution was simple: Make them enjoy their lives and give them something to do, and for that they had to find something to do for themselves first.

Thus Bat-Bee Inn came to be. The establishment, like the rest of Inns and Dining Halls was originally manned by NPCs, but after the Transition it fell to former players who were willing and able to fill their role and provide food and clean, warm beds for the other Faeries. Other than Suzumebatchi herself who did most of the cooking and managing, there were two waitresses, Fu and Yugito, Sylph and Cait Syth respectively and a trio of Puca musicians who went by the name Ninth Heaven who worked in the Inn.

Tensa, her husband, feeling more adventurous than ever, had joined the Mob Patrols and in addition to advertising for the Inn had managed to talk some of the less adventurous faeries into supplying them with fresh material, namely fish, meat and dairy products which were among the first of Arrun's original food supply to be eaten.

And of course there was Dunkirk and news of daring rescue of three hundred stranded former SAO players in the floating island of Albion. Faery Lords while not exactly real lords and probably lacking any real life leadership experience had done a great job thus far, and not only had secured safety of those who relied on them in this strange new world that was Halkegenia but also managed to almost completely defeat the hidden enemy that was lack of purpose and depression.

But as was the way of life nothing was perfect, and in this particular case what marred this perfect picture of liveliness was one gloomy Sylph girl sitting alone with her cup of tea in the furthest corner of the Inn.

Suzimebatchi wrinkled her nose in distaste... the girl Verda was alone only because her cousin and uncle had decided to be that guy by attempting to break one of Arrun's unwritten laws and break the sanctity of Arrun Central Library, leaving the poor girl to deal with fallout of their idiocy. Fortunately for the trio of Sylphs the City Watch had decided long ago that whatever Spirit of Justice that put fear of law and order in hearts of those who broke laws of Library was more than enough a punishment. Unfortunately this still left the young Sylph stranded in the sea of unfamiliar faces.

Ah well... Suzumebachi couldn't really allow this to continue, could she?

"Fu-chan!" Suzume called to the green haired Sylph waitress "Could you take over for a moment please?"

**xxxxxxxxx****x**

All things considered Akhmet was probably the luckiest bastard in entire Arrun city and he didn't even know it. He was lucky because the City Watch faeries not only had not given her grief over foolishness of her baby cousin and helped her with carrying the unconscious whimpering wreck that was Ehsam to their room in Bat Bee Inn, but also had explained that he would recover from whatever happened to him after only a good night's rest. Any other thing and she would have done much _much_ more than laughing hysterically when two hours later a pair of faeries in blue of the Arrun's City Watch knocked at her door and delivered the whimpering elder.

Galls of the man! To leave her to deal with fallout of his idiotic plan and use his chance to sneak into the Library. In fact Verda was pretty sure she could have forgiven him even then! had he not ended up like the rest...

As it was she settled with putting the old mage under the most potent sleeping charm she could cast, if only to make sure he wouldn't worsen their already disastrous situation with a panic attack after waking up, the massive hangover that was the common side effect of this particular spell was just a happy coincident.

Honestly, what was that idiot thinking?!

"He probably didn't."

Startled, Verda looked up from her steaming cup of faery tea and was greeted by smiling face of their Sylph hostess "Miss Suzumebachi?"

This Faery woman was the_ other_ reason for Akhmet's continued survival. Young, perhaps even younger than Verda herself if the Faeries aged like Elves did, cheerful and very friendly, Suzumebatchi with her pale skin, vibrant green eyes and golden hair looked almost exactly like an Elf maiden herself. It was probably why Akhmet had decided to pick her establishment as their Sylph persona's place and temporary headquarter. Verda honestly didn't know what she would have done with the two unconscious elves on her hand if they didn't have this room.

"Suzume's fine Verda-chan." the Sylph said with a smile "Mind if I join you?"

Did she mind? It Akhment was around he would have sniffed and said something to chase the Faery away, the whole "Keep your distance from the locals!" and that not. But then it hadn't stopped her from sneaking out at nights in the last two days, so why would it now? "Not at all, Mis... ah Suzume-san."

This way of calling people, adding suffixes to their names was one of the fruits of those nightly activities. Apparently it was considered rude or offensive to just say the names, and as she had observed "-san" was something you could add to any name without appearing to be rude... the others, "-chan", "-kun", "-tan" and as such were a bit too complicated to figure out in just two days.

"You shouldn't worry yourself about those boys Verda-chan," The Sylph said as she poured herself some tea "The boys will always stay boys no matter how old they get. I've been living with my Tensa-kun for the last sixty year and he still manages to make me want to facepalm every now and then."

"Si.. sixty years?" Verda spluttered. The girl before her didn't look _THAT_ old, let alone being _married_ for that long and that was by elven standard.

"Yup" Suzume continued cheerfully, oblivious to the Elf's obvious expression of shocked disbelief "What? You young people think we old timers wouldn't like playing games?"

Ah yes, she'd completely forgotten about the faeries' original homeland, IRL, where they actually looked more like humans and that their Faery bodies were just some sort of temporary bodies they wore for entertainment.. Or they did, before something went wrong with their grand spell and made them real flesh and blood faeries. She pretty much doubted they were actually humans. Perhaps they were some mighty race of Firstborn who just_ looked_ the crude, short-living barbarians that were identified as humans. Something not unlike how some of the Faeries looked like Elves now.

For one thing almost every single Faery could read and write in their Kanji, and those who didn't, which Verda herself had been mistaken for as one after a particularly silly slip up, were foreigners from other parts of IRL who used their Gift of Tongues to speak read and write in other languages. Or they did, apparently after the Transition the Gift of Tongue no longer applied to written materials anymore.

For another they were generally as cultured and well-behaved as her people, and even though their beautiful city Arrun was an equal to any Elven city, she'd heard some of the Faeries grumbling about it being a backwater place compared to their IRL.

And of course they didn't like people prying about their lives in IRL... sometimes even if _they_ were the ones who brought it up.

"Oh... I, I didn't mean to pry..."

"Don't worry about it, Verda-chan." Suzume dismissed her apology with a wave of her hand "So tell me, how are you doing?"

"I'm fine, thank you for your concern."

"Of course you are" The Innkeeper rolled her eyes "It was another girl with stormy clouds over hear head who just_ looked_ like you. So again, how are you doing?"

"Very badly," Yerda sighed " I _told_ them. Goodness knows I told them! And they still went and done it!"

"Library raiders, huh? Don't be too hard on yourself _or_ them. They are not the first and I pretty much doubt the last ones the Library's Guardian Spirit-sama wouldl punish like that."

"Spirit?" Verda blurted before she could stop herself.

"Uhm" Suzume nodded "Verda-chan is from out of town, right?"

"Yes."

"Well... it's more of an urban legend in Arrun, really, but ever since the Transition every time someone tries to steal from Arrun Central Library, he or she would end up as a whimpering wreck curled up in a ball. Nobody knows exactly what happened to them but since it's never fatal and they recover from it with just a mildly scarring traumatic experience, most people just decided to accept it as divine punishment rendered by Divine Guardian-Spirit of the Library or Spirit of the World Tree. I suppose that's why the City Watch leave the first-time offenders alone too."

Spirits protected the Library? Well, Faeries Gift of Tongues _was_ rather similar with Spirits' ability to talk with any and call creatures who could speak and some who didn't, so it wasn't all that odd that Faeries, a supposed race of Firstborn who lived close to a massive magical tree also benefited from Spirits' blessing. No wonder Akhmet, an insufferable douchebag but nevertheless a very competent Elven mage, was defeated like that. Not even their firstborn magic could challenge an Spirit in its own domain. But wait... "First time offenders?"

"Unbelievable, no?" the Sylph chuckled into her cup " Apparently some peoples' skull are too thick, and somehow they'd decided stealing Library's stuff is some sort of epic Rogue-build quest with big reward. The result's always the same but the City Watch boys decided to take them second-timers in to drive the point in. I doubt it works though."

"But what if they don't repeat it?" Verda asked, trying not to sound too interested.

"Nothing. The Spirit-sama's pretty forgiving if they don't repeat themselves. The Librarians however, especially our cute head-librarian, Bishop-chan, are very protective of the Library, so they might give your cousin and uncle a bit of stink-eye next time they go there."

As the Sylph and the fake Sylph returned to their cups an idea started to form before Verda's eyes. She was in a very unique position of being the only member of the Investigation Team that had not manage to offend the Guardian Spirit of Library, and the only one of the trio who _knew_ the Spirit was fairly forgiving... maybe, just maybe she could use this tidbit of knowledge to her advantage here... After all was it not their close relation with Spirits and Nature that truly set the Elves apart from barbarous humans? Someone _had to_ stay behind and do a damage control with the Spirit situation...

But first, let's put some of her local knowledge to good use "Umm... Suzume-san, do you suppose Ninth Heaven can play... rock-n-roll?" yes, that was the name of that horrendous ear-sore of a_ music_.

Suzume blinked "I'm not sure, why?"

"Oh, it's nothing. _Uncle_ Akhmet just loves it, so I thought it might cheer him up a bit when he wakes up."


	42. Blinded - Akhmet's Investigations (2)

_[Bishop-chan's notes - I am not unforgiving nor vengeful... I just dispense proper discipline as I see fit, especially against fools...]_

**Akhmet's Investigations - Part 2**  
**by _Blinded_**

**xxxxxxxxxx**

Ehsam sighed as he continued his walk toward the Bat-Bee Inn. For all its beauty and charm Arrun, the Capital of Faeries was not a place built for those who couldn't fly. True, other than its walls and outer fortifications there was no place one couldn't go on foot, but where a Faery could avoid all the stairs and narrow passageways that led to all sorts of odd places, a Human, or an Elf, had to do things the hard way... and it was really hard. But the young Elf could not deny that navigating the streets at a leisurely pace also allowed him to observe the city even better, and the city never failed at being an enigma.

It was an odd place, and it was not just the alien mentality behind its design, or seemingly odd style of the city either. It looked old, ancient even and more than once he'd seen buildings that showed obvious signs of aging but at the same time it felt... strange... new even. He'd talked about it with Master Akhmet and his cousin but they paid him no mind, one dismissed it as a "lingering effect of magic of Transition" and the other just laughed, called him silly and went to test another new Faery snack.

He didn't bring it up again, deeming remaining out of Master Akhmet and Cousin Verda's constant clash of wills a wise man's course of action, but didn't leave the subject alone either. Fortunately the incident with Library-Spirit, whatever it was, which he tried NOT to think too hardly on it thank you very much, and side effect of Verda's overpowered calming charm had left Master Akhmet incapacitated for two whole days, and with Verda herself was too busy doing... things, had given him a chance to do some actual investigations on the matter.

The results were strange but not exactly surprising. Almost all the signs of age and usage were strictly superficial. It seemed as if the Faeries had built the City fairly recently and then fabricated very realistic signs of passage of time into surface of their structures. Following one of Verda's less strange information gathering advises he'd brought up the subject to some of the Faeries over a drink at the Inn... and they had confirmed his suspicions, calling this strange practice "giving them character and depth" before asking if he was a Civil Engineer in Iar'el or just a curious O-take-O?

Honestly, he could understand covering the signs of age with illusions and trying to repair them, but to actually make them look old on purpose and not as part of an elaborate conning attempt... what kind of person would do such a thing? Shaking his head in wonderment, Ehsam pushed the old-new door of Bat-Bee Inn open and walked in.

"Ehsam-kun! Back already to take Verda-chan from us?" Suzumebachi, Suzume for short, the Sylph owner of Bat-Bee Inn declared loudly almost as soon as Ehsam walked into the Inn. She was an odd one, that Faery, with her fair skin, blonde hair and dark green eyes she look like an Elven maiden about his own age, and if Verda wasn't pulling his leg, already married for sixty years, and to a giant purple-haired warrior of Imps no less.

"I'm afraid I am, Miss Suzume. We'll have to return to Sylvein soon so I came to give her a heads up." Ehsam's sigh was not entirely an act. He loved his cousin very much but between her infamous rebellious spirit and the perils of being between hammer of Verda and the anvil that was Master Akhmet's equally massive stubbornness, he didn't particularly look forward to their reunion.

It was also a fact that for all their wanderings, all they gained was a very vague, not-exactly-confirmation of presence of something that could be a powerful Spirit that protected ALfheim as whole, but even then, the past three weeks of wandering around Tristain and visiting and conversing with various Spirits and occasional fighting for his life against monstrous creatures of ALfheim, the so called Mobs, with a much less grumpy and nagging than normal Akhmet, was the most enjoyable part of their journey to Halkegenia. And every time he sat in blessed silence next to their fire and watched as Master Akhmet furiously added notes to his journal and grumbled to himself, he couldn't help congratulating himself for his sound decision to not expose Verda's deception.

Despite what she liked to believe, Verda was not exactly very good at lying. In fact one just needed to look for signs of a grin in her face to tell. She was positively beaming when she revealed her findings about the Unforgiving and Vengeful Library Spirit and how it punished those foolish enough to dare and defile its domain.

Either due to wounded pride or because of side effects of Verda's spell, most likely both, Master Akhmet had believed her right away. Needless to say Ehsam didn't, but knowing his cousin for as long as he did, and after seeing the dangerous gleam in her eyes as she explained how she, as the only Elf who had not offended the Spirit, had made arrangements to stay in the city and try and commune with it, opted to keep his observation to himself.

As he learned from rumors while investigating the Old Buildings of Arrun, there WAS a Spirit of sorts in Arrun Central Library that punished the offenders regardless of race or gender. But unlike Verda's tale the first-time offenders were not flied alive and made sacrifices to the World Tree by a priesthood of Librarians should they ever enter the Library again. In fact beside that... thing that happened to him, the worst that could happen was ice-cold glare of the Librarians thereafter and a Ban for Life on third offense.

Fortunately for everyone, in his haste to leave the city and converse with local spirits, Akhmet didn't ask any questions and the Cousins didn't say anything...As it was the only reason everything worked out fine was probably because the old Elf was too self-absorbed at the time to asked what were Verda's arrangements. Spirits knew even Ehsam was shocked when he learned she was planning on becoming a waitress at Bat-Bee's.

"Where is she anyway?" Looking around at the mostly empty Inn, Ehsam asked.

"I'll tell you only if you promise not to act like a grumpy older brother." Ehsam raised an eyebrow.

"Firstly, whatever my cousin had told you SHE is the older one, and secondly the grumpy one is Uncle Akhmet." He said good-naturedly "and besides, what did that tomboy do? Tried to climb the World Tree?" that was actually the very first thing she said when they walked into Arrun, much to his amusement, Master Akhmet's displeasure and their human hirelings' undisguised horror.

"Is that a promise, Ehsam-kun?"

Ehsam rolled his eyes "Fine... as her younger cousin, I promise to not act like a, quoting, grumpy older brother... now what kind of trouble is she in?"

"The best kind," the Elf-like Fae said with a grin as she leaned on the bar"She's on a date with one of my husband's lads. Don't you worry though, Masamune-kun is a good boy."

"A date? Poor, unfortunate sap." He chuckled. Whoever this Masamune fellow was, he was probably going to be traumatized like the four other fools who had made the same mistake before him. He just hoped for the poor Fae's sake that the Faeries had greater tolerance for weirdness and odd ideas. He chuckled as he tried to imaginesome Faery in place of his cousin's last date back at home... Wait a minute. There was something definitely wrong with this picture... and for once it was not his cousin, his atypical Elven Maiden of a cousi-

Suddenly freezing in place, Ehsam looked at Suzume and blinked, and blinked again as his brain finally managed to process full implications and possible outcomes of his cousin's latest adventures. And he fainted.

**xxxxxxxxxx**

"Did you use one of your special calming charms on me?" Ehsam not-exactly-whimpered as he nursed his aching head "I feel like a horse kicked me in the head..."

"Since you are not going through the hangover of lifetime you already know the answer." Verda answered without looking up or stopping her search through what looked like pile of... things, "And the headache would be because you hit a table after fainting."

Oh, that... fainting. In his defense fainting on spot was probably the only thing that saved him from having a panic attack, followed by a heart attack and a premature death as result of Faeries and/or his own failing body. Even now, safely within their room in Bat-Bee Inn and with no sign that his worries were realized, the number of ways this could go horribly wrong was enough to cover him in cold sweat.

"Honestly, Ehsam-kun, if you had such a huge crush on me you should have told me" She continued matter of factly "and I would have reminded you that I'm like your older sister, inbreeding is bad for future generations and besides while I like you, it's not like tha-"

"Ehsam-kun?" Ehsam cut in "S... since when have you started talking like a faerie?" Suddenly on his feet, the younger Elf pointed an accusing finger at his cousin. Verda had a tendency to pick strange figures of speech, endearments and insults to enrich her vocabulary, but considering the existence of disguise-magics and the Faeries' strange and possibly entirely different style of magic, the possibility of the Faerie term "-kun" being a slip on the part of a Faerie disguised as his all-too-careless cousin was not entirely impossible.

Looking up from her junk pile, Verda gave him a deadpan look, "Really? Of all the things I just said you had to pick me calling you Ehsam-kun?"

Fighting back the rush of blood to his cheeks, Ehsam didn't budge "I... it doesn't matter! Explain yourself!"

"Sheesh… that old coot must have corrupted you or something." Verda muttered under her breath as she raised her hands in the universal gesture of surrender "Okeeey, O wise Elf of Sahara, you caught me. I'm in fact Lady Morgiana of the Spriggans who's disguised myself as your cute cousin to seduce you into my personal harem… now come my beloved new consort! Let us fu-"

"E-ENOUGH! Cut it out!" Ehsam flailed his hand, stammering. That was definitely his weird and vulgar cousin, because he really doubted Faeries, any of them, let alone someone like the very famous Lady of Spriggans, would act like that. "It is you…" he said as slumped on his chair.

"… you are disappointingly easy, you know that?"

"So you've told me…" Ehsam sighed. Maybe he'd hit his head harder than he'd first thought … after all if Verda was indeed a fake he would have woken up in a Faerie prison… or this was all a clever plo-… "Ouch… what was that for?"

Arm still stretched in throwing pose, Verda rolled her eyes "preempting strike against your next stupidity induced outburst. And please, don't do that again because I really hate throwing any other of my plushies at you."

Ehsam looked down at the improvised projectile that had fallen into his lap. It was a stuffed likeness of a Faerie in strange red armor, and considering its coloring, it was supposed to be a Salamander "A stuffed toy?"

"A Plushy!" Verda huffed "The correct term is plushy, and while I just bought the Red Samurai to complete the set, I refuse to call it a toy!"

Right… "I'm not going to ask how you get these things, but to- plushies? Really? Weren't you supposed to commune with the Library Spirit? What would Master Akhmet say?"  
"Oh, that's right. Where is the old coot?"

"The old co- Master Akhmet," Ehsam stopped himself from scolding the eccentric elven Maiden, having given up on her as a lost cause long ago, "has decided to not enter the City because he believes that after his mighty showdown with the Library Spirit, it might not look favorably on his presence nearby." Ehsam resisted the urge to roll his eyes like Verda did. No sense in encouraging her, even if Master Akhmet's reasoning was filled with glaring holes. "But that's beside the point. Explain. Everything."

"Sigh… where should I start?"

"Stuffed t- plushies." Yes, the toys were probably the safest place to start. Then the rest of the unidentified junk, then the Spirit and finally the Date… or maybe the Spirit should remain the last one. Damn his throat felt dry as a desert rock. "But first… any drinks you'd recommend?"

Some way or the other a small review while gathering their belongings and additional junk took three days. The first one was rather tame considering with who Ehsam spent it with. Just drinking the many blends of Faeries' delicious teas while trying not to choke on them or spray mouthfuls as Verda shared her adventures.

As it turned out buying three whole sets of plushy toys had a reasonable explanation behind it. Apparently Faeries made stuffed toys of their Leaders, the so-called Fae Court, some of the important and remarkable Fae individuals, and just about anyone who bothered to order one and wait for two days. The plushies were well-made and rather accurate, as far as a "super-chibi mini-me", the Faerie term for them, could go, which while not a security risk for the Fae themselves or their immediate enemies, the plushies being modeled after already the already well-known individuals, could serve as a valuable source of information for the Elves.

The one Verda had thrown at him was The Red Samurai from the Dunkirk set. The other sets were the Heroes of Aincrad, and of course the Fae Lords… and apparently the makers, Maki & Yolko's Soft Cuddle-Toys were looking for permission to make a Royal set for the human monarchy of Tristain and the disgraced Albanian royals too… as if someone would bother with almost certainly ugly demon-spawns when beauties like the Black Magic Mistress were around. A pity the Black Swordsman and White Flash Princess he'd heard so much about were not in any of the sets….

The conversation stretched longer than Ehsam had expected. The thing that made him stay until the next day was his own foolishness and walking right into the trap set for him by Verda and Innkeeper Suzumebachi… it ended with a massive hangover that was for once the result of Alcohol, and a recording of him, singing some Faerie drinking song out loud, on a Faerie crystal.

On the upside, it gave him a chance to meet that Masamune-Jr, or Masamune-kun fellow. According to the Innkeeper he was roped into dating his cousin because her husband, Tensa, who was also the younger Faerie's comrade thought Masamune and Verda would make a cute couple…. They would have made a horrible, scandalous, and unforgiveable couple… too many similarities and possibly not enough care if the other one was not from the same species. Fortunately despite, or maybe because of that, they decided to be good friends instead.

And more fortunate was the fact that no beans were spilled during their date. Unfortunately he learned these facts during a friendly tour of the city that somehow turned into a date for him which ended with the not-so-regrettable loss of his first kiss to a cat-girl co-worker of Masamune and another day of not being on the road to home.

By all rights he should have at least checked on the Old Elf by then, but the fact that Akhmet had not even bothered to contact him after he missed the first night somewhat hardened him to the notion, and even if he felt any guilt over leaving the old mage by himself outside of the city's gates, when he woke up the next day and prepared for the last portion of their task in Arrun, he was entirely too nervous to care.

"… Did the old coot infect you with cowardice or something?" Verda rolled her eyes as she dragged him toward Arrun Central Library.

'Easy for you to say.' Ehsam thought, not trusting his voice enough to speak out loud. True, he knew that the wild stories Verda had told him almost a month ago were just that, wild stories, and not only that but she had even admitted as much after his … date. But still… knowing something on an intellectual level and knowing something with your own soul were not exactly the same thing. How could he forget tha… that aaaaagh! He couldn't even bring himself to remember IT!

Suddenly Akhmet's ridiculous excuse-making was a lot less ridiculous... to walk into the city was one thing but to actually go to the... go there? "wE coUl-" Ehsam coughed to cover the squeakiness in his voice. Damn it! Why was his heart pounding so hard?! "We could just relay on your reports and the books you copied you know…."

His cousin didn't pay him any mind, not once letting go of his hand or loosening her grip. 'think fast Ehsam... think fast!' Physically breaking free from her grip was out of question... she was not only a head and shoulder taller than him, but also physically stronger... and besides, as with using magic, punching a woman in the face and making a run for it attracted all sorts of attention... from flying Faeries...

"I thinK.. ahem... I think I can talk Uncle Akhmet into letting you stay behind?" Not likely, but it sounded good and it was probably... no, definitely, the reason why Verda had tried so hard to make him mingle with the Faeries. All he had to do was to distract his cousin and make a run for it to the Inn... or the gate. "You can do a more thorough job of studying until the next investigator team comes?"

Suddenly stopping in her tracks, Verda turned and looked at him with her eyes narrowed to slits, "You can't actually do that, can you?"

YES! The fact that she didn't simply dismiss his claims was enough to encourage him to press on. "Of course!" 'not so agreeable!' his mind screamed at him, 'or she might get suspicious... and don't hesitate or appear too unsure either and never let your eyes wander too far away from her face. And don't forget to Blink!' "Uncle Akhmet even suggested something like that himself," not exactly a lie, but the old mage was being sarcastic at the time, "I... didn't exactly agree with him but after you showed Arrun to me I think you can definitely make it on your own just fine!"

"It is a good offer" Verda scratched her nose as she always did when she was trying to look thoughtful. Ehsam had to exert some effort to not sag in relief, His cousin was probably just waiting for something like that and was just acting coy... He just couldn't wait for them to return to their room where he would knock her out with her own favorite spell and by the time she woke up, they would be two days away from that Library... "But..."

'Please no! Please don't make her feel dutiful and attached to the family all of the sudden!' Ehsam steadied his breathing as he reined in his panicked thoughts, "But?"

"… I'm sorry Ehsam-kun, But I've made a one-time arrangement with Dojo-san and Bishop-san for this and I can't simply take back my word." Ehsam raised an eyebrow... he didn't know any Bishop or Dojo back at home and besides... what did two faraway and strangely named Elves, possible Rub al Khali traders, have to do with anything? He didn't have the chance to ask though, because the moment he opened his mouth again, Verda's strong hands grabbed him by the shoulders and pushed him...

... into the terribly familiar threshold of Arrun Central Library.

**xxxxxxxxxx**

Thin, rectangular, and not even as large as his palm, the Spirit Artifact that was Arrun Central Library's card looked deceptively unremarkable. It had a cool, smooth surface that reminded him of polished stone, which was odd considering its weight and texture... if it wasn't such a rare and valuable piece of evidence, Akhmet would have loved nothing more than to tear it open to see what kind of strange material was used to make it. He would have done so anyway, had the upstart owner of the card been less of a child about it.

"Here," the elder Elf handed the Spirit Artifact back to its owner, "your card."

"You could have had one yourself, you know," the boy said with a sigh, "the Faerie Librarians weren't all that bad."

Akhmet couldn't help but scoff at the naïveté and ignorance this statement showed. It wasn't Ehsam's fault that he didn't possess the wisdom of an Elite and Venerable mage such as Akhmet himself, who had spent years accumulating knowledge. "Tell me Ehsam, how did you offend the Spirit?"

"What does that ha-"

The old mage silenced his younger follower with a sharp but indulgent glare. The impudence of youth was understandable, after all, and spending three whole days with that damnable mean-spirited vile she-monster the boy called cousin had not improved his manners at all.

"I... I mean, as I told you many times already, after casting a spell to hide my presence from the Library's Pixies and Librarians, I picked up a book and put it in my bag and... tha-... that's about it."

"Precisely!" Akhmet declared triumphantly. "Unlike you, who merely intruded on the Spirit's domain, I not only fought the Spirit but also severely injured it. And let me impart this piece of wisdom upon you, Spirits have long memories and rarely forget those who bested them. If I were to return to the Spirit's domain, it would not welcome me as it did you."

And it was true!

When the boy had failed to return with his cousin on the day they returned to Arrun, Akhmet was all but convinced that the Spirit had slain him. He had sensibly decided to retreat from the Capital of Faeries, but apparently the Spirit was far more merciful than he had guessed. Five days later, while he was on his way to the Country's borders, an annoyed Ehsam had caught up to him and promptly greeted his Elder with a punch to the face then accused him of running away!

The brat was fortunate that his Elderly Superior was so pleased to see him that he decided to forgive Ehsam his impudence, and ignore his gall at being called so unjustlya coward! That, and the Spirit Artifact the brat had managed to obtain, which coincidentally had Ehsam's name written on it, had stayed his hand... there was a good chance that the artifact would lose its potency if its Owner died.

The fact that the Spirit had shown mercy was probably the result of the time Ehsam hadspent with him learning the proper ways to commune with the Spirits...

According to Ehsam's story, all the boy had gone through was a spell of silence that had prevented him from screaming like a witless idiot when that vile, thoughtless woman... no, not woman, girl! pushed him into the Library, followed by a cold reception from unimpressed Faerie Librarians and an even a colder one from the Chief Librarian. And surprisingly that was it!

Less than an hour and two signatures later, and Ehsam was granted conditional access to the Library. And what did he do with it? Grab three books from Library's Magical Lore section and leave the city as fast as possible?

No! Whatever had happened to the daring, adventurous spirit of the youth?! At worst the contract would have taken the lad's life for oathbreaking... did no one recall the value of self-sacrifice these days? Why in Akhmet's youth, he would have... moving on...

The only good thing about Ehsam's actions was his decision to leave the she-demon Verda (who Akhmet was quite sure had at least some human blood in her veins) behind. The slacker was probably too lazy to keep up with her younger cousin, and had been left behind... hopefully to be slain by one of those horrendous beasts that now occupied the forests of Tristain. He didn't care one way or another.

Well, it wasn't exactly that he didn't care... Her family were old and powerful, and for whatever incomprehensible reason actually cared for the Wild She-Beast. Perhaps it was part of the whole 'family thing'. But even he, an elderly gentleman who never allowed himself to be distracted by carnal instincts, could see that their bloodline would benefit from such a loss.

'But I have to tell them something' Akhmet mused as he looked at his sole companion from the corner of his eye, 'maybe I should ask Ehsam about fate of his unlamented kin the next time we stop...'

"Master Akhmet," Ehsam's voice broke the old Elf's train of thought, " Do you... do you remember what exactly happened before you were knocked unconscious?"

To call what happened to him being 'knocked unconscious' had a degree of impudence to it, but Akhmet decided to indulge the young upstart. "Is this about how I said I'd injured the Spirit?"

Now that he thought about it, he never actually explained why he refused to enter Arrun in any great detail. Of course, he didn't exactly need to explain or justify any of his actions, being an Elder and the Chief Investigator, but youths were foolish and could reach all sorts of bizarre conclusions if left on their own.

"Well... yes," Ehsam shifted uncomfortably on the saddle, "because I can't remember much of anything myself."

"To answer your question, no, I don't remember the exact circumstances either." Akhmet admitted freely. The last thing he remembered was sneaking past the commotion, and the next he was on a soft bed, having a spell-induced hangover and doing his best to not die of the horrible, monstrous noise that Verda had gleefully and shamelessly informed him was her gift to him.

"But-"

"Allow me to finish, my dear boy." Akhmet rolled his eyes, feeling entirely too pleased with himself for showing off his great wisdom and broadening horizons of a young and foolish Elf. "What I said was actually result of a very elementary deduction, my boy. As you are aware, I am a very powerful Mage, on the same level as the likes of Master Vitartial. Powerful enough, in fact, that I can and did indeed subdue even some Spirits who went out of their way to be harmful toward us. Do you really think one such as I would have gone down without a fight?"

Ignoring the irritating hesitation in Ehsam's nod, Akhmet continued. "In my experience the Spirits are not very forgiving toward those who mean them harm, or those they suppose mean them harm, as was my case. Had it had within its power the means to exact its revenge on me for using my magic against it, my Spirit Magic, an insult added to injury no doubt, don't you think it would have done more than just knock me unconscious, as you put it? True, I was left unconscious after our showdown," Akhmet admitted with a solemn nod, "but I expected no less after fighting off a Spirit in its own domain."

"...and I suppose that also explains why it didn't attack us before we left to contact the local Spirits?"

Akhmet nodded. He was not particularly apt in reading others, especially younger people's moods, but even he could detect the obvious hints of awe and admiration in Ehsam's tone.

"...It was severely injured... I suppose you could have replicated the feat had you entered Arrun again, Master, but it was just the inconvenience of blowing our cover that stayed your hand. Please forgive me for thinking of your act of thoughtfulness as an act of cowardice."

"You are forgiven, child." His mood improved a great deal, the old Elf grunted magnanimously.

And the long ride toward home continued.

_**Fin.**_


	43. Blinded - Derflinger and Faeries

**Derflinger and Faeries**  
**by _Blinded_**

**xxxxxxxxxx**

If one could hear Jacobo's honest opinion about the Night of Plot and Fire, as folks of Tristania started calling it, the weapons seller was not sure he could keep his head in place. As a follower of path of pragmatism he wasn't a particularly patriotic man, nor he cared for business of the Crown or the Nobility beyond names of the bigger, more troublesome of Nobility, royal tax collectors and how to best make deals with, avoid or appease them.

So what if High Treason had happened and assassins made an attempt on the Fair Princess, her homeless royal cousin and Lords of Fae, and the conspirators tried to burn Commoner quarters? He felt sad, for the stressed royalties, the troubled firstborn Lords, AND his fellow commoners who did not have the sense or the money to pay a petty mage for warding their homes and workshops as Jacobo himself did, but in the end all he had to offer was a sad shake of head, an outraged growl, and not appear too cheerful at what came next.

Following their strange ways and instead of staying away until dust of events of Gala and all the accusations directed toward them settled, the Faeries came to help the homeless right away.

Their Earth Mages, mostly a group of burly dark-skinned giants build shelters, their fair Water Mages chanted their magical songs to heal and cleanse and their cheerful singers played tunes that was literally magical, banishing exhaustion and invigorating bodies just as their gentle melodies livened the spirit. Few trusted their Firstborn magic at first and many like Jacobo himself either tried to politely distant themselves or glare looks of suspicion at them... it lasted until the first faery bard started her song.

Then came their craftsmen and_ craftswomen_... little things far too handsome and pretty, lithe and young to have any business with hammer and forge, these Leprechauns. They asked to use smithies and workshops until they could bring their own tools or build new ones. It took a day of intense arguing for Jacobo to make Bernd, the Germanian oaf of an Earth Mage who was his main sword-smith, to see the benefits of observing Firstborns' crafting skills first hand.

Not much came out of it but it was the first of his potential businesses with the Faeries, and right now he was in the middle of making the second one.

"Twenty straight double edged swords made of Lightweight Steel as promised, Jacobo-san" declared a grinning Manda of Leprechauns as he offered one of the faery swords to Jacobo.

Jacobo suppressed a smile as he took the sword. While not a swordsman himself by any stretch of imagination he had handled enough swords of all kinds to know exactly what to look for in a sword. In fact the only time he was ever deceived, as far as he was willing to admit to himself, was when that bastard traveler had sold him the Founder cursed talking sword Derflnger... it should have been the Win of longtime, buying such an excellently crafted magical sword and such a low price but alas the country bumpkin act was a clever ruse and he was saddled with the foul-mouthed, rude and impossible to clean or destroy talking sword.

The thrice curse sword was now in the basement of safely outside of hearing range, possibly shouting its metal arse... handle... whatever off trying to woo some of the blessedly less-talking swords. It was a pity that the blasted thing couldn't always be kept in the basement... strange things tended to happen when the Sword got too bored and Jacobo didn't care to repeat the experience of having all of his basement's preservation enchantments fail again.

"No faery enchantments you say?" Jacobo asked as he swung the sword. The balance was excellent and the blade was sharp enough to cut a piece of paper clean in half but it was somewhat lighter than a sword of its size should have been.

"As I said it's made of Lightweight Steel" Manda answered "According to Lizbeth-san this makes them weigh somewhat less than normal steel swords while keeping their durability. Not even mid-level gear mind you but still plenty good!"

Jacobo scuffed at the bravado, no sense telling the Faery his own expert opinion on the matter. These swords didn't cost him as much as Germanian army's standard steel sabers and if his years of experience was anything to go by, thanks to the faery metal they were made from, the Fae-made swords were even better too. After all swords were weapons of Commoner men-at-arm and any enchantment on their weapons was more than appreciated.

"What is this Lightweight Steel anyway" He asked offhandedly.

"Sorry, Jacobo-san, Lord Rute says its trade secret for now."

"But didn't you say Lightweight Steel is lowest grade of those speedy type metals?"

"Speed type, and yeah. But after events of the Gala the Lords decided to not give away or secrets or sell anything above mid-tier gears, security and all."

"Sensible..." Jacobo dutifully grumbled some choice curses about the traitors as he sheathed the sword. And then a thought struck him. Maybe they wouldn't sell their secrets now, but what about getting their favor in the future by selling _his_ secrets? Namely a loud, annoying and troublesome_ secret_?

"Say... Manda-san?" the weapons-salesman looked at the Faery to make sure he had pronounced the suffix correctly "as you can see I'm not a swordsman or a weapons-smith myself but in all these years had the pleasure of working with many of the type, your fair kin included, and had developed an academic interest for swords. Some years ago I found this old relic-sword and kept it to figure out how its enchantments work, but couldn't figure ou-"

"You mean like a Quest?" The Leprechaun cut in excitedly "Like you give me the sword to take it to our smiths and discover how it work?!"

"You... did that before?" Jacobo raised an eyebrow at the sudden declaration... he didn't know exactly how to work his way through to the Faery without appearing too overeager and suspicious but conveniently enough he didn't have to it seemed.

"Yes! That's basically how most of our radiant quests went!" the Faery exclaimed before narrowing his eyes "But what do you want in exchange? I still can't break the laws you know..."

"Not much, I assure you," Jacobo answered not so hastily and tried to not sound too disappointed at the last declaration... normally he would have brushed off such declarations of lawfulness. Bribing, the usual key to this sort of deadlock, while an an important tool in a successful tradesman's arsenal, had to be used with care, and this soon after the whole Treason and Plot making such an offer didn't sound all that smart. Especially when other options were available "Just the result of your experiments and for you to remember how helpful I was when your Lords removed their ban."

"And are you sure you don't mind if your relic-sword gets destroyed?"

'Mind? The only thing I _mind_ about it would be to not being there and hear the annoying piece of scrape's last screams!' outwardly Jacobo schooled his features to a sad but resolute expression. "Not if it helps our fair kingdom in these trying times."


	44. LGear - A Dinnertime Talk

_[LGear's notes - Bishop-chan is currently preoccupied with space ninjas at the moment, so I'm doing commentary. This is LGear, who wrote the Old Heart, Young Eyes segments in Halkegenia Online. This snip takes place after zero0hero's interim sidestory Melancholy Heart, hope you enjoy the next round of stories!]_

**A Dinnertime Talk**  
**by _LGear_**

**xxxxxxxxxx**

"Nanami, I'm back."

"Ah, welcome back."

To the casual eye, the exchange between Shouchi Saitou and his granddaughter-disguised-as-younger-sister Furuya Nanami was no different from any other day that the former came home from work, while she prepared one of the simple pre-cooked dinners they will partake for the night. But there was one thing Nanami was proud of, and tonight she intended to prove it once more as she had countless times before.

"Work went well I hope?" The younger girl asked.

"As normal as could be." Came the younger-looking Saitou's reply, flat from the day's weariness as he took his favourite seat by the small dining table. But in that one moment, Nanami's eyes caught the sign she was looking for, that imperceptible twitch in the young-looking man's mouth. It pays to be able to get a read on her grandfather so well, despite his now youthful appearance.

"Jii-san, I know something nice happened to you this week."

Not a question, but a statement of fact, of absolute certainty. The past month after she had gifted her grandfather that timepiece, there were subtle signs that slowly crept into Saitou's mannerisms. A spring in his step; the microsecond smiles that seemed to burst out at random; his voice sounding much less tired than it normally would, even during that time when he had to perform his second surgical operation since the Transition. There had even been times that he had asked her to eat lunch by herself; not unusual by itself, but such a request was normally delivered with an apologetic air, of work taking too much time, not an expectant lilt like he was looking forward to something. He sounded more refreshed, more sure of himself, more… alive, than he ever had before or after the Transition, especially this week when the signs gradually became more overt and open.

What her grandfather did with the rest of his new life was something that she knew she shouldn't fuss over, given that he had lived a life more full than she currently had. Still, curiosity was the privilege of the young, and the urge to use that privilege had won out after a month.

Nanami wasn't naïve enough to think that her gift alone could make her grandfather change so much. Placing both their meagre dinners on the table, Nanami sat down and rested her chin up her hands, the universal pose for impending serious business.

"Very well then."

It was a good thing that Saitou shared the same ability to read Nanami's signs, and so he sighed with a resigned smile. It may be boring, but there was a reason he was the easiest to talk to of everyone she knew, and one of many reasons she loved him so much.

Saitou took a bite out of a piece of meat with a fork, voicing his appreciation with a brief hum, before putting down his utensils, and looking Nanami in the eyes.

"Nanami, what do you think of Irene?"

Oh.

Nanami had only met the young woman in charge of Arrun Home a few times, the first time when she and Saitou had sat across said woman's group in the Hole In The Wall diner about a month ago. It was rather difficult to forget Saitou doing such a knightly save for Irene-sensei. On the other hand, it wasn't difficult for Nanami to put two and two together. She can't say she wasn't expecting it, but it was still a pleasant thing to hear.

"Ojii-san," The granddaughter prepared her best poker face. "I know you're young again, but that doesn't make it any less illegal."

_*cough*_

Thankfully Saitou wasn't eating, or he would've choked right about now. Score 1 for Nanami.

"Nanami, you can't stop a man being attracted to such a woman, especially one of her healthy and generous proportions."

_*clang*_

… Did Nanami really just hear her grandfather say that with a straight face? Said grandfather forked a cherry tomato and ate it nonchalantly as Nanami recovered her fallen fork. Oh he did not just hide a smirk right then.

"Are you sure about this Jii-san?" Certain important questions had to be asked now though, lest her grandfather commit himself to the mistake of two lifetimes. Not that Nanami had any objection to such an age gap, but there were certain worries that only existed in such situations. Sincerity being foremost among them: not even 4 months into the Transition, and Saitou's image as a young, reputable doctor with good bedside manner was already getting him female fans especially among the nursing staff, Fae and Tristanian alike. It was a problem back home, it was definitely also a problem here.

Saitou smiled in reply, a happy look on his face where his thoughts turned towards something he was especially fond of. "You've always been so concerned for me Nanami, but don't worry about this. For one, both of us are the same. Out of Time."

Out of Time, the term used for players whose true ages diverged greatly from their assumed appearances, and Saitou was one of the most extreme examples that only a handful knew about.

"Wait a minute, I hope you're okay with telling me Irene's secret." Nanami questioned disapprovingly. She and Saitou had kept the latter's age a secret for lots of reasons, and she didn't want someone they just met to be betrayed by loose tongues.

"Irene herself approved of me telling you earlier today." Saitou laughed softly. "She already deducted your relation to me based on our ages, and understands just how much I value the trust we have between us. She understands."

'She understands'.

And there, said with much love, was the crux of the entire affair. Both of them people advanced of age, isolated in a niche by their experience and wisdom. Even for someone like Nanami who could read her grandfather like a book, she knew that there was a world of difference between Saitou confiding in her, and him sharing his life experiences with someone of similar circumstance. Someone who knows what they went through, someone who immediately knew the emotions, the feelings, the experiences that only they have undergone in their long lives. Once a long time ago, her grandmother had been that for grandfather. It was something Nanami, as his beloved granddaughter, could never provide.

Saitou had finally found someone to fill the hole that festered in his heart since her grandmother's death. For the first time since then, he was no longer alone in his suffering.

"Well, if she had the gall to know about us, then it should be fair that I know how old she really is." Nanami couldn't help but smile at that moment, and she made sure Saitou knew it.

"She just turned 51." Judging from Saitou's grin, he did.

"Not quite as out of it as I thought, but not bad. Certainly better than moneygrabbing jailbait."

"First I'm not rich. Secondly, they can't prove my age."

The two shared a short laugh among themselves, one of several small pleasures that they had in this new world.

"Jii-san, you told me once that I'll find the person who will become my happiness someday." Nanami reminisced on a recent memory, then returned to the present view of her lovestruck grandfather struggling to keep the silly grin off his face. "I'm glad you found yours."

"Thank you Nanami."

Both basked in the silence of the moment, letting the conversation and its implications on their future sink in. A future that hopefully will be filled with much joy, no matter how small.

"I wonder what you should name your new aunt then."

The comment out of thin air brought a stop to Nanami's reverie.

"Aunt?"

Saitou's grin turned feral, even as he maintained his composure. "You didn't think me and Irene wouldn't want to have children now did you?"

It took a while for a frozen Nanami to process this new information, about future relations born into the bloodline. And when all calculations had finished, her mind could only come up with one answer.

"What."


	45. LGear - All For Fun

**All For Fun**  
**by _LGear_**

**xxxxxxxxxx**

"She's a monster!"

"Unbelievable..."

"I have become taco!"

This motley assortment of voices did not fail to attract Hyuuga's attention as she made her rounds, ears perked up in attention. The Chief Researcher for TRIST had excellent hearing back as a human on Earth, and it had only been improved with the unique physical enhancements provided by her new elongated ears. Said hearing of course was useful in all sorts of ways, from tuning machines to hearing the latest gossip whispered behind her back. Or as she suspected in this case, people doing something they really shouldn't.

With a deft hand she silently opened the dusty wooden door, making sure she didn't make a sound, and slowly entered the wooden warehouse. As the original structure upon which TRIST was founded, the Warehouse held a certain sentimental value for Hyuuga, even if nowadays it was mainly used to store objects too bothersome to be placed elsewhere within the grounds. It was also far enough away from the main R&D labs to provide a reasonable degree of privacy for whatever vices the various Fae and Tristanians working under them would do.

"This can't be happening!"

"How many times has this happened already?"

"You two are being too loud, keep your voices down!"

The first voice of desperation belonged to the Imp Yuuta-kun, assistant head of the fledging Steamworks division, and formerly known by his ALO handle _Dark Flame Master_ before asked to be called a much more... respectable name. Personally she liked his alias, though on the other hand it was a pain to call him that in both official meetings and documents.

The second bewildered voice was Fujisaki-kun, head of the Domestics Products Division, whose breakthroughs in recreating "ordinary" amenities they had taken for granted on Earth here in Halkegenia had earned the Gnome legendary status among the Fae. Hyuuga certainly didn't want to go back to the days without two-ply toilet paper.

And the third voice of caution was definitely Nishizumi-chan, head of the newly formed Armored Warfare Division, responsible for introducing advanced warfare technologies. Though a hopeless otaku, the Salamander was nevertheless impressively skilled when it came to mechanics, and her Spanish Bread was to die for.

Finally, there was a 4th voice, a soft but spunky laugh that she couldn't place from here, though it sounded very familiar.

Hyuuga's division heads in such a seedy place... her interest in what they were trying to hide only became much stronger. Depending on what it was, the punishments she was ready to mete out were already churning in her head. She turned round the corner past one of the many crates piled high, and finally saw the owner of the last voice, sitting on a small crate as it spoke:

"I'd love to bleed you guys dry some more, but I fear we've already been discovered."

Said Captain Agnes Chevalier De Milan, the Crown's liaison to TRIST, and currently in a happy mood, surrounded by three wide-eyed TRIST division heads who looked like they saw a ghost. Hyuuga took a step more, and finally saw what this particular group had been hiding:

Between the 4 participants of this late-night endeavor was a square table, upon which lay walls made up of small, varnished wooden blocks - no, _tiles_- each one engraved with different symbols. The material may have been different, but Hyuuga most definitely knew what this was.

Hyuuga managed a smug grin, she was VERY interested now. "Care to explain yourselves?"

Fujisaki spoke up. "We were simply carrying out... internal testing of our new product." For a man who looked and sounded like he could bolt out of here at any moment, he certainly kept his explanation cool.

"Internal testing I see..." Hyuuga's hand found her chin, causing the other Fae in the room to visibly gulp. She eyed the small, heavy-looking untied pouches by the edges of the table. "Does internal testing also involve gambling away your money?"

"N-n-no pain, no gain," Yuuta stammered, "we felt it'd our... erh, testing results would be more accurate when, uhm..." he really struggled to find the words, "real-world conditions are involved".

Hyuuga stared down on the last unspoken of the cabal, who shrunk into her seat with an audible 'eep'. "W-we didn't know what to do with our free time, so we pooled our money together to have this made! We've been playing for two weeks now..." Nishizumi-chan certainly was honest to a fault, that adorable girl.

"They wanted a 4th person who they can teach the game to." Agnes shrugged with a smirk, despite the fact that she didn't have anything to explain for. Hyuuga's eyes wandered to the tiles on Agnes' side, and for a moment a sense of awe overtook her, which she could only describe in three words:

The sun rises.

"Does a game like this exist anywhere in this world?" Hyuuga asked the Musketeer, a hint of awe in her voice.

"First time I've seen it," A sincere Agnes shrugged, "though a few more games and I could retire as a rich woman." The musketeer threw a smirk at her three gambling companions, causing them to recoil with much fear. This woman not only appeared to be skilled, but blessed with much luck as well, if she could manage such a feat within just two weeks of learning the game...

"How many games has she won, Dark Flame Master?" Hyuuga let herself smirk as she saw the Imp flinch.

"... all of them."

A warm feeling rose within Hyuuga at that moment, one she had not felt since she was challenged to unlock the mysteries of Albion's "advanced" cannons. She took one last glance at the arrangements on the table, finding who the weakest one was, and her mind was set.

"Nishizumi-chan, move." Hyuuga commanded the nervous young Salamander, who hurriedly got out of her makeshift seat. "You three have such nerve to create something so fun and not invite _me_."

The Chief Researcher of TRIST reached into her pocket, affixed her monocle to her right eye, and stared down at an amused Agnes across her, lips forming a predatory grin. "I'm afraid I'll have to break your winning spree Miss Agnes, for the honor of the Institute. Now, let me teach you what mahjong is all about..."


	46. LGear - Pixies und Panzer

**Pixies und Panzer**  
**by _LGear_**

**xxxxxxxxxx**

In the years she had visited the Tristain Royal Institute of Science and Technology, Agnes thought she had seen everything this place had to offer. The loud boom that blasted down the hall didn't even register to her as she continued walking, not even batting an eye at the smoke she passed through. Past the smoke she soldiered on, only to be stopped by the sight of a red light by a hall intersection. It took her a while before she noticed what exactly was wrong with the current scenario: she had been drilled to obey the Fae's red stoplights outside the institute to prevent being run over by yet another of their crazy inventions, whether it was the "Yuyumobile" or some other steam-powered contraption capable of great speed.

So why was there a stoplight inside the facility, in a hall only passable to humans?

The answer came amidst the sounds of metal rattling en masse, mixed with the whine of dozens of Fae electric motors. Their source, Agnes saw, was a dozen small, tracked steel carriages a mail long, resembling the "tanks" that the Armored Warfare Department were building, but on a much smaller scale, moving in a narrow V formation. Protruding from holes on top of the miniature carriages were the Pixies who rode on them.

"Listen up!" The Pixie in the lead tank cried out, the loudness of her voice surprising even Agnes. "Those who get knocked out will spend the next week assigned under Hegent-sama's cleaning detail! We'll win against those Oarai girls this time around, is that clear?!"

The collective chorus of "URAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" nearly deafened Agnes in its intensity. How Pixies could have such loud voices Agnes wondered. And then as the Pixie tank column passed by her, she heard their song in a language she had never heard before from any Fae...

_"Rastsvetali iabloni i grushi, poplyli tumany nad rekoj_  
_Vykhodila na bereg Katyusha, na vysokij bereg na krutoj..."_

As the convoy and their song receded into the distance, Agnes turned to look at the new person who just joined her with much bemusement.

"What was that about Dame Nishizumi?"

The short, brunette Fae who headed the Armored Warfare Department simply looked at the retreating column with much pride. "As you can see we have Pixies testing scale models of our tanks. Their input will be invaluable in the development of the full scale versions."

"And what was that I heard about punishments being meted out?"

The Fae researcher giggled. "We have them test the machines out by engaging in mock battles against other tank teams. Obviously there had to be stakes involved."

"And if they win?"

"A week's supply of Chocolate from Arrun's confectionaries."

A smile suddenly crossed Nishizumi's lips. "Would you care to join me in watching a match? It'll be fun!"

Agnes glanced at the timepiece on her wrist. She had time to kill before her appointment it seems.

"I'll gladly take you up on your offer."

"Wonderful! Follow me please," The young Fae gestured, before pumping her fist into the air. "Panzer Vor!"


	47. LGear - Give Me Wings

_[LGear's notes - Look up the song "Tsubasa o Kudasai" on Youtube for reference. This snip takes place immediately after Old Heart, Young Eyes in the main Halkegenia Online story.]_

**Give Me Wings**  
**by _LGear_**

**xxxxxxxxxx_  
_**

_Ima watashi no_  
_Negau koto ga_  
_Kanau naraba _  
_Tsubasa hoshii…_

It wasn't the lake's cold water splashing on his face that awoke Lieutenant Renault Rafale from his morning stupor, but a melody, a graceful song carried by a tender feminine voice, gentle in tone yet rousing with an audible echo, each word as clear as the morning air.

_Kono senaka ni_  
_Toori no you ni_  
_Shiroi tsubasa_  
_Tsukete kudasai…_

The language was completely foreign to him, his ears unable to make head or tails of what he was hearing, as lovely as it was. Yet for an inexplicable reason, he understood the words perfectly:

_In this vast sky, _  
_I want to spread my wings and fly…_

Setting his sword and cape straight he followed the source of the song, letting his ears lead him. Past the thick brushes and the shadow of tree canopies, he came across another clearing by the edge of the lake covered in a thin layer of mist.

There, standing by the water's edge, was the source of the song. And when he finally laid eyes on it, his breath momentarily failed him.

"Truly, the Captain was right."

The slowly rising sun softly illuminated the figure, her fair skin like alabaster glimmering in the rays of morning limelight, her hands clasped together on her chest. Her face like a goddess was the very image of serenity, her eyes closed to the world yet her mild, carefree expression showing the open love of her heart through the song released from her peach-colored lips. Long aqua-colored hair spilled over her shoulders draped in her soft ivory nightgown, touching her skin in teasing ways, emphasizing the woman's sensual curves. Finally, her sharp, pointed ears added an exotic allure, giving her a mystifying air.

In legends, Faerie women were said to be the doom of mortal men, hopelessly beguiled by their radiant feminine beauty. As his heart beamed at the sight of the wonder in front of him, he understood why.

'If so, then let me be doomed today.'

Even as those words crossed the lovestruck mage he certainly wasn't ready to be doomed just yet, and so Renault stayed a respectable distance from the singing Faerie to listen a while longer.

_Kanashimi no nai_  
_Jiyuu no sora e_  
_Tsubasa hatamekase_  
_Yukitai…_

Renault couldn't stop his hands from evoking his admiration, his claps replacing the Faerie's tranquil song.

"Ah!"

The startled Faerie gasped in surprise at the sight of him, grabbing her unique golden staff off the ground, and for a moment Renault regretted clapping as he did. Said regret got mercilessly crushed by his clenching heart as a hint of red flushed the bashful Faerie's cheeks.

"You heard that?" The embarrassed Faerie woman asked as she faced him, voice clear as a bell, but carrying a slight edge. That lovely face and that equally lovely voice… recognition finally dawned upon the Lieutenant. Bless the Founder, it seems destiny was with him today, and before he knew it his feet were carrying him closer to that Faerie who had captured his heart.

"Milady Lumis Eterne? Fancy seeing you here this splendid morning!" Renault greeted in equal parts surprise and delight. He knew that the Faerie he met on the road to Arrun three nights ago was beautiful even when obscured by the darkness of dusk, but in the morning light Eterne was absolutely stunning.

"Oh, Lieutenant Rafale, good morning to you," Eterne greeted after sticking her ringing staff back to the ground, bowing with her hands clasped together in the manner so common among the Fae it seems. "I admit, I wasn't expecting anyone else to be here."

"Neither did I," Renault beamed. "Hearing the fine voice of a siren's song compelled me to find its origin, and it led me to you."

The way Eterne blushed ever so slightly as she did was almost too much for the Lieutenant's spirit, but he was made of sterner stuff as an Officer in her Majesty's Royal Army, and so did not fall into a molten heap like a lesser man. "I see. I must apologize then," Eterne said, "my voice must've been atrocious."

By what impossibly high standard did these Fae judge their voices with?! "Not at all Lady Eterne. My compulsion to find you was driven by how bewitched I was by your song. A masterpiece if I say so myself!"

"You flatter me, but thanks anyway." That shy embarrasment that Eterne gave assaulted the constitution of Renault's heart like nothing he had ever experienced. But as a gentleman, he must weather the heavenly punishment lest he lose his conduct!

"Do not belittle yourself so Lady Eterne, I only state the Founder-given truth of your elegant voice giving such an exquisite song proper justice."

Renault had hardened his defences, but Eterne's dainty giggles were proving to be formidable. "That's the first time I've heard that song described as exquisite. It's not that grand."

Curiosity was a trait cultivated among the Rafale family for generations, especially in the fields of art and music. And his interest in Eterne's words went beyond his desire to keep her occupied. "Then do enlighten me on the nature of this song."

Eterne clasped her hands behind her back, eyes looking on with reminiscence. "It's a just popular song back where we came from. Sometimes, it would be sung to students on their graduation from high school."

"High school?" Renault wondered at the strange term, but judging from the words he hazarded a guess as to what it meant. "It must truly be important song, if sung from such a place of nobility."

"Not nobility," Eterne shook her head. "Every," she emphasized, "adolescent is required to undergo high school, as part of mandatory education."

Mandatory education… Renault didn't need to think much to realize the meaning of the word, even has his mind struggled to understand the concept behind it in the context of Eterne's description. Only the rich nobility had the time or money to be able to afford proper education through tutorship and schooling. While the Church provided free education for commoners, that was only true for young children, and commoners were expected to work upon reaching adolescence. Even in just the past two days though Renault had observed a startlingly high degree of literacy among even Fae youngsters, like Eterne's own companions. Along with the discovery of Arrun holding an immense library full of Faerie tomes and literature, and it spoke to him of the Fae being a race that valued knowledge and its dissemination above all.

"And you attended this… high school as well I imagine?"

Eterne looked out unto the lake. "I did."

He was about to ask more about this strange, new aspect of Fae culture he just discovered, but the words died in his mouth. He was so glad that his eyes watched Eterne's divine face so eagerly, that he was able to catch the hint of melancholy on her face, a barely visible unease.

He had seen that expression once before, on someone completely different, on a face unfortunately not as pleasant to look at. Remembering how his insensitiveness back then had turned that a mere question into something completely ugly was enough to give Renault pause. If there was anything that was making her so uneasy, then it was his duty to steer the conversation elsewhere. He'd rather not risk upon a potentially volatile subject.

"I see." Searching for an exit, Renault pushed for the first question that had been on the back of his mind for the past several moments, trying on a different tact. "I admit the song itself still baffles me. For a race of Firstborns with the ability to fly, wishing for wings is rather odd."

At least now she was looking at him again, even if her melancholic expression had now been tinted with amusement at his topic change, a soft smile affixed on her lips. "That's because back when we were human, we didn't have wings."

And there was that, a major detail about these Faeries that Renault had completely forgotten. He had read the reports of how the race they now know as the Faeries were once humans from the realm known as Aiyarel, playing within a vast enchanted dream world for entertainment until The Transition had made their dream real. Yet he had failed to even consider such an important fact of the Fae in his musings. The story itself had stretched his own imagination to its limits, and the Fae's unusual actions, anatomy and culture made it difficult to think of them in terms of being human.

"I apologize milady, my ignorance for your people's plight was revealed."

Eterne shook her head, wisps of hair swaying with her movement. "No need Sir Rafale. I sometimes forget that I used to be human." She looked down on the water by her feet, no doubt studying her own reflection. She closed her eyes for a moment, looking as she did when he first came upon her this morning, then shook her head.

"Though I guess you're right," Eterne continued with a nervous laugh. "The song does sound silly when we sing it, wishing for something that we now have."

Silly? He found it a strange dissonance, like the sometimes disconcerting fact of how Eterne's lips spoke one word yet he heard and understood another. But never silly, not after he remembered what he heard.

"Not everything milady. Your song spoke of a sky without sadness. Has that wish been granted as well?"

The next sound Renault heard was the flapping of wings, and the sensation of his Familiar link getting stronger. He lifted a hand to the sky, and let an orange sparrow perch on his fingers, then lowering it to eye level.

"Recette, taking me back already?"

The sparrow only twitted at his query, and that was enough. He turned to Eterne, who seemed to be eyeing his familiar with a fondly curious look. He could never get tired of seeing all these faces she was showing.

"Lady Eterne, I introduce Recette, my dearest familiar."

Eterne bowed as was the Faerie way. "Lumis Eterne, nice to meet you Recette."

Letting Recette hop unto his shoulder, Renault tugged his cape straight. No matter how much he wished he could stay here with his fair lady longer, duty called.

"I'm afraid I must take my leave now milady, I am needed back at the garrison."

"I see." Eterne's melancholy seems to have lifted at least from how she sounded, even if only slightly. "Then, I will also need to be going then."

The Lieutenant took off his hat and placed it over his chest as he bowed. "A pleasure having your company Lady Eterne, may we meet again."

A sweet giggle of seeming amusement escaped from the fair Fae's lips, as Eterne bowed in a traditional curtsey, so unlike her earlier gestures, but one he was most familiar with. "The pleasure was mine Sir Rafale."

Then in the moment he wasn't expecting, Eterne did something that momentarily gave his heart pause. She clasped her hands together... and smiled. "And... thank you for listening."

Oh how Renault wished he could engrave that last smile she gave into his soul for all eternity.

Two gossamer wings sprouted from Eterne's back, releasing pinpoints of sparkling light into the cold morning air. With a flap of her wings, Eterne gently lifted into the air, and spared him a wave of her hand before she sped off into parts unknown.

"Grant me white wings, on my back like a bird." Renault muttered the words of the song in contemplation, the words that encompassed the song's essence, perfectly describing the sight he just witnessed. As he turned and headed back towards the direction of the garrison he thought how this meeting, no matter how brief, should have been the best morning he ever had, and he uttered a silent praise to the Founder Brimir for his luck today.

Yet he never did get a reply to his last question.


	48. revanninja - The Clarent Cycle

**The Clarent Cycle**  
**by _revanninja_**

**xxxxxxxxxx**

"So here I am legs up in the air, Some Midwife reaching which let me tell you is NOT fun." Morgiana said her face scrunched up in remembrance. " And this idiot comes in all panicked from having heard me scream." Morgiana points a finger at Kirito who has the grace to look embarrassed hunkering down next to Asuna on the couch. Asuna on the other hand had a hand up to her face her eyes dancing in delight.

"Now Eugene had the luck to find a field boss and was not going to make it and I was not happy about missing on my woman given right to beat him down for getting me into this situation in the first place. SO I thought hey Kirito makes a good stand in I think I called it the idiot price but truth is I wasnt thinking clearly so for all I know its was gibberish. Worked though the poor sap." Morgiana face split into a fierce grin even as resettled her son in her lap. The young boy paid no attention to the adults in the room and was playing a carved statue of a knight made by Liz.

"Wait? Kirito just went with this?" Louise said her face and voice filled with her confusion from her seat next to the mother. "And stop that! My hair is not your toy!" Midori just chuckled and continued to braid her hair into a complex french braid.

Kirito his face red answered." Have you ever had Morgiana mad at you?" At Louise's No of a nod he finished. "Dont that is all I have to say, she is scary enough as is." Shuddering at the memory. Once again Louise reached up to thwack away Midori's hands from her hair but the slim girl just slipped around and continued to play with it. Finally Louise halted a pout across her face.

Morgiana watched the girls for a moment her face hinting just a bit about the thoughts going through her mind. Shaking it off she took up the story again. "Well at first it was all fine I crushed Kirito's hand screamed so forth you know the usual, but then this idiot says something I forget what it was it probably wasnt anything but I was well past the point of caring, Instead of having my big strong husband to force on to his knees like a little baby I had this little girl who looked more like my baby sister then a guy and I wasnt taking it anymore." Stopping Morgiana's face turned to pin Kirito with a glare. "By the way why where you disguised as Midori then? I didnt think about it tell now but it was a little odd."

Hunkering down Kirito was sure his face was on fire but before he had to respond Asuna spoke up. "Well that was me? I kinda wanted to surprise Yui with a new dress you know for that winter ball the princess was having. So I kinda sort of roped Kirito in helping me?" Asuna's voice had gotten meek near the end and was fidgeting in her seat. "Midori and Yui share alot of coloring and have a similar body type so I was using... him as a Model." The last part was squeaked with a shaky smile on her face.

Needless to say it took but a second for the implication to say in before the assembled host started laughing. Poor Kirito couldnt do anything but sink deeper into the couch hoping it would swallow him home. "Please..Hahaha...Tell...Me...Hahahahahah...You..have pictures." Leafa squeaked out her face red with tears streaking down it her arms wrapped around her sides. "Brother in a dress..." And there went Leafa again her fight againist the laughter lost.

After a few minutes to gather herself Morgiana took up her tale again." So As I was saying I wasnt having it and I lashed out I dont know how put I pulled magic. All I know was I blasted Kirito just as this little guy was making his debut into the world." Smiling she stroked her sons hair. "After the flash there was Kirito knocked out cold and next to him was a naked Midori." Bouncing her son Morgiana told her son. "Hear that kiddo, you and your aunt Midori were born on the same day."

Louise her face pinched. "So you just poofed and Midori was born?" At Morgiana's nod she crossed her arms. " I know Midori is not normal but this takes the cake...wait doesnt this mean Midori is Kirito and Morgiana's child?"

"So Papa? Can I have your sword I have been a good girl." Midori's face was filled with mischievous intent. " I promise I wont scratch it."

"Knock it off Midori" Kirito face was filled with a hint of annoyance.

"Ah Guinevere Papa Doesnt love me anymore!" Midori turned and buried her face into Louise's shoulder let off fake sobs. In a fake stage whisper. "After he takes Lancelot away we should steal his sword and take over the kingdom! Momma will help!"

"Midori!' Louise was aghast at her behavior.

"Behaving huh?" Asuna spoke her face a pinched displeased look. " Well if you want this Lancelot will duel you for the kingdom and you shall learn you have awhile before you can claim the round for yourself."

Morgiana watching the going ons of her friends and family couldnt help but smile she loved the goings on she was never bored with them around. "Soon you will have adventures like them I wonder what mischief you will have him Little man?" Her son as if knowing her question laughed a twinkle in his eye.


	49. revanninja - Threads To Be Tied

_[Bishop-chan's notes - Time to spread the suffering around. Can't have only that Beater know what females are capable of...]_

**Threads To Be Tied**  
**by _revanninja_**

**xxxxxxxxxx**

Klein stretched his arms above his head a large grin on his face as he walked down the Arrun market. It wasn't often he had a day off from the patrol and he fully intended to enjoy it. His eyes moved down the stalls, Marco's with a current half-off sale, The armoire of invincibility, Ackbar's traps, and his personal favorite the Rat's Tap.

In front of him chatting and looking at the wares were Fouquet Tiff and Skuld. He had known when Fouquet had asked him to come he was going to be carrying the bags it was a man's duty after all. What he hadn't expected though was for Fouquet to extend the offer to Skuld seeing as how the two of them had…friction with each other. But she had, and he was still confused by it.

If there was one thing Klein knew beyond any shadow of a doubt about Fouquet was she loved Tiff as a sister would and she was loath to give up any time with her. Even he with their strange relationship was tolerated but just barely when she had time to visit Tiff. A woman of complexity so deep it would take him a lifetime to unravel.

He felt a slight smile begin to grow as he watched them Green, Black, and Blonde each a beauty that even here smack dap in Fae lands where physical beauty was common they drew attention to themselves.

A pair of boys approached them, it was clear from their stance and the motions they were trying to pick the girls up. It was also clear Fouquet was not having it. Her hands drifted to her side which drew his eyes to a piece of cloth attached to her belt. It was a ratty predominantly red with a few white strips cloth. It looked out of place attached to such a glamorous woman. And every time Klein saw it he felt his heart beat just a tiny bit faster.

After all, it's not every day a woman wears your bandana as a token.

As he watched Skuld clearly not understanding whatever pick up line the boys were using brought her hand under her face in a clear pose stolen from Asuna. Wrapped around her wrist was another section of his old Bandana. How he felt about them both wearing it he wasn't sure but a small dumb part of himself started chanting Harem in a loud voice which he had to ruthless squash before he did something stupid and said it.

He may be a fool but he wasn't an idiot thank you very much.

And speaking of being an idiot he felt an ice touch go down his spine as Eliza came out of the crowds in a straight bee-line for him.

ONCE.

He helped her out Once and suddenly she decided she was going to claim him. If it had been a couple of months ago he would have jumped at the chance now…..  
Adjusting his Green and Black Bandana he hoped to whatever deity out there listening that Fouquet wouldn't ….

Oh god she was looking over here and she was….!L#e$GG%sSs^

Brain Error

Reboot in 5

4

3

2

1

**xxxxxxxxxx**

Fouquet couldn't help but roll her eyes at these boys. Really did she hurt herself when she fell from heaven? That was the best they had. The only reason why she wasn't laughing herself silly was because her dear Tiff had flushed so red and was using her hat as a shield it was so adorable she didn't want to ruin it.

While the boys clearly were attracted to Tiff for obvious reasons it was the first time her little sister had a chance to be approached with no fear just because of her ears. It was silly, it was pure tripe but it was her sister and Fouquet would end the world with a smile if it meant something to Tiff.

Plus she had a feeling if she started laughing she wouldn't stop. Seeing that she wasn't giving them the time of the day, one of the boys turned to Skuld. Watching the Pure confusion Skuld was leaving in her wake as he tried pick up line after pick up line on the oblivious goddess was just pure gold in her opinion.

Ha let someone else answer why women plucked for once.

Her hands drifted to her waist as she watched the comedy unfold. As they did her hand brushed the cloth tied there. Fouquet smiled as her fingers played with the ratty thing. Skuld had a like amount tied to her wrist the red and white cloth a treasured item for them both.

After a Long discussion that had ended with a stalemate of Giant Golem and Equally Giant Rock against Pint sized Goddess they had come to a…agreement concerning Klein. After reaching said Agreement they had promptly stolen his Bandana and split it among themselves replacing it with a new and in their considered opinion a better one.

Feeling a smirk forming Fouquet looked over to her idiot to see how he was holding up. If he was being a good sport she might be kind enough to lead the way to the Open Secret and let Skuld try on a few choice pieces. Of course in the name of fair she would send her to ask Klein what his opinion was, for fairness of course.

That Smirk died a horrible death in a ditch where it would never be found. A blonde hussy was clearly trying to edge in on her turf. Watching Klein nervously adjusts his Bandana, its green and black gave her an idea. Waiting for Klein to look over to her which the goof did clear panic written large on his face, Fouquet moved.

She did not walk no that would be too mundane for her. She stalked. Her Feet moved one in front of the other a smooth slink that maximized the swing of her hips, her arms subtly shifting and pushed up her bust. And to top it off a smirk and eyes that had more to do with a bedroom then a street in broad day light. Only peripheral aware of the results of her actions out of the corner of her eye she saw a Salamander run head first into a cart his undine girlfriend clearly not happy with his distraction.

But all of that was nothing compared to her real target. She could tell it was too much for Klein as his face went slack and his eyes wide never once leaving her. It made a girl feel Special having that kind of attention.  
Coming up to her man she leaned on him and was gratified when even when lobotomized by her he still moved to make her the upmost comfortable he could. Giving the Blonde Hussy a smile a shark would envy she started small talking. It was nothing more than banal chatter the type used by women everywhere to see where the other stood.

As they spoke Fouquet curled a finger around her hair and brought it up to caress Klein's cheek. The hussies eyes followed it and narrowed when she noticed the color and the Bandana matched. Seeing that the Hussy got the message Fouquet offered a small pleased Smile.

A smile that grew Malicious, when Skuld made herself known in that blunt way of hers. The Goddess tilted her head and her sheet of ebony hair, which even Fouquet felt envy for, spilled down and in front of Klein. Once again the Hussies eyes darted towards the Hair and Bandana her understanding complete.

After that it was a simple matter of making sure the blonde would never again sniff around Klein. After a short time where Fouquet made sure the hussy understood Klein was hands off the male in question finally came around from his daze. Men.

Taking his arm while Skuld took the other, she led him off to retrieve her sister and continue with the trip.

She was Fouquet of the Crumbling Dirt and if she barely allowed a Goddess in her Relationship with her Lizard, what hope did a mere girl hope to have?


	50. revanninja - Summit

**Summit**  
**by _revanninja_**

**xxxxxxxxxx_  
_**

His breath came in short gasps his lungs burned with each pull of air. His body screamed at him burn with pain for his arrogance of pushing himself.  
His foe stood strong unyielding, his face a mockery of his efforts.

Rage built in his heart time and again he had tried to reach his foe and each time he was betrayed by his own efforts. Not this time he swore.

Eyes Narrowing body tensed he launched himself at his foe a scream baring all his rage and frustration bursting forth from his lips a sound which the very heavens themselves seemed to shy from.

One step his body shook the effort alone almost undoing him then and there but he gathered himself and pushed onwards.

Second step his determination found purchase strength flowed into his limbs stretching them and strengthening them.

Third step his strength built his footfall but a light tracing of the earth. He felt his worry and frustration burn away and pure glee at finally reaching his foe the end was Now.

Fourth Step his foot came down and coil his power gathering springing him high in the air his limbs stretched to their fullest every ounce of him gathered unto one goal to reach his Foe.

Fifth Step was no step but a flight unto his foe at long last the goal was met.

**xxxxxxxxxx**

Eugene felt his grin widened as his sons launched himself with all the grace a 1 year old could at him. His arms circled him pulling him close into his embrace.

Eugene had felt pride in a job well done of defending his people from enemies and striking at the shadows that would consume them but as he held his son for the first flying to his embrace he knew that was nothing compared to the pride he felt in watching his son his wings stretched truly fly for the first time in his young life. Love and pride warmed his heart as his son huffed with effort against his chest.

His eyes tracked towards the ground where Morgiana stood. Her eyes met his and a cocky smile lifted on to her face. No words were needed just their son and the knowledge of his first flying lesson.

His head bowed to his sons hair whose head rested on his chest. The boy was tired his efforts had exhausted him and already he was sleepy against his chest.

His breath ruffled the boys short black hair as his voice soft as the hair it was spoken into released its words.

"I am Proud of you." Eugene said


	51. Wind Tempest - Lost Child Report

**Lost Child Report**  
**by _Wind Tempest_**

**xxxxxxxxxx**

Louise sat under the cover of the canopy, well hidden from the various aerial patrols flying overhead. Lying low to so that she could escape to Romalia alongside Julio. As she waited, she heard a faint voice increasing in volume, and soon enough she could make out what was being said. A Puca Faerie flying overhead shouting using the Puca spell Ventriloquism, making her voice loud enough to be heard across the land.

"Amber Alert! I repeat Amber Alert! A young girl has been reported missing! She is between the ages of 10 and 12 with long pink hair! She was last seen boarding a unmarked white Drake whose rider appears to have blue and red heterochromatic eyes and short blond hair! She responds to the name 'Zero' and 'Ironing Board'! If you see anyone matching any of these descriptions please notify the nearby guard immediately!"

Louise stilled her wand and clenched her teeth, "At least say 14."

"And my drake is totally registered. I don't even have candy nor am I over forty years old!" Julio shouted, justifying something that really shouldn't be justified.


End file.
